Morrisons, Tesco, and Sainsbury's stores across the UK have decided to cease selling the product.
The vape company says it "wholeheartedly apologises for the inconvenience this has caused".
One of the most popular e-cigarette brands has been stripped from the shelves of several major UK supermarkets after they were found to contain "illegal" nicotine levels, reports The Manc.
ELFBAR 600 - which is more commonly known as just 'Elf Bars' - is described by the company as being "the most popular disposable vape", and it comes in countless eye-catching bright colours, an extensive range of 30 sweet and fruity flavours.
Given the uncharacteristic e-cigarette look, and the fact they come in flavours such as Blueberry, Guava, Cotton Candy Ice, Blue Razz Raspberry, Pink Lemonade, and so many more, this has lead experts to believing that Elf Bars are a contributing factor to the rise in popularity of e-cigarettes and vaping among younger people.
This is only proven by a recent survey carried out for Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) finding that the proportion of children aged 11 to 17 currently vaping has risen from 4% in 2020 to 7% in 2022.
Elf Bars are available in varying nicotine levels - but recently, a Daily Mail investigation has revealed that the Watermelon-flavoured ELFBAR 600s were found to have at least 50% more than the legal limit for nicotine e-liquid.
This has lead Morrisons, Tesco, and Sainsbury's stores across the UK to cease selling the product.
Elf Bars stripped from major UK supermarket shelves after 'illegal' nicotine levels found / Credit: ELFBAR
Not only that, but Morrisons has even taken things one step further by deciding to stop the sale of the whole ELFBAR 600 range following the investigation.
Addressing the findings from the investigation and explaining its decision to strip all Elf Bars from its shelves, a Morrisons spokesperson told ITV News: "As part of our ongoing investigation into the legal compliance of ELFBAR 600 disposable electronic cigarettes with Trading Standards, we have made the decision to remove all flavoured variants from sale.
"The products will only be returned to sale once stock that fully complies with UK legislation becomes available".
Tesco says the vapes have been temporarily removed from shelves as "a precautionary measure" while the manufacturer "urgently investigates these claims."
Sainsbury's echos a similar statement to Tesco, and confirmed it's in "close contact with our supplier".
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) found that the number of children aged 11 to 17 currently vaping has risen / Credit: Flickr
In light of the Daily Mail investigation - which was the result of buying multiple £5.99 vapes from a Tesco in Derbyshire, and sending them off for testing - an ELFBAR spokesman told the newspaper in response to the findings: "We found out that some batches of the Elf Bar product have been overfilled in the UK.
"It appears that e-liquid tank sizes, which are standard in other markets [such as the US], have been inadvertently fitted to some of our UK products [and] we wholeheartedly apologise for the inconvenience this has caused."
The company added that it would alert retailers and review its production process, but insisted that the "highly regrettable situation" did not compromise the product's safety.
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Met Office reports on how long the heatwave will last as yesterday was hottest May day on record
The Met Office has given us an idea of how long this current heatwave may last.
It comes after a new UK temperature record was broken yesterday, as it reached 34.8°C at the weather station in Kew Gardens – with the figure being both the highest daily maximum temperature recorded in meteorological spring (March, April, and May), as well as the highest temperature in May all together.
The previous record of 32.8°C was reached in 1922 and 1944.
If confirmed and validated, and May sees a new official daily temperature record, it would mean that more than half of the monthly record highs – seven out of 12 – have been set since 2003.
But what exactly is considered to be a heatwave? Well, heatwave conditions in the UK are met when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days with temperature values meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold for that location.
Looking ahead to the rest of the week, and providing the public with an indication of how long these temperatures could last, Met Office weather forecasters say the start of the week will see the heatwave continue for much of England and Wales with temperatures ‘well above average’, and today (Tuesday 26) expected to be another ‘very hot day’ with a rapid rise in temperatures through the morning.
The heat will then continue through the week, with highs of 31°C forecast for Wednesday, 30°C on Thursday, 27°C on Friday, and 28°C on Saturday.
“We’ve now provisionally broken the spring and May temperature record,” commented Met Office Chief Operational Meteorologist, Dan Suri.
“Meteorologically, what we’ve seen is the influence of warmth building under an area of high pressure near the UK allowing exceptional heat to build allowing maximum and minimum temperatures to reach levels not previously reported at this time of year.
“Further heat is in the forecast for much of England and Wales, with similar temperatures forecast for Tuesday.
“High pressure is forecast to gradually lose its influence later in the week, though maximum temperatures will still remain high and in the low 30°Cs for some mid-week and high 20°Cs late this week.”
Government to slash prices of bus travel, cinema tickets and LOADS more across UK for kids this summer
Emily Sergeant
Cinema tickets, trips to the theatre and the zoo, and children’s meals out are all set to be cheaper than ever this summer.
That’s because the Government has announced its newest initiative, Great British Summer Savings, which means that from 25 June through to 1 September 2026, a temporary reduced rate of VAT – down from 20% to 5% – will be introduced on children’s meals in restaurants and family leisure activities over the summer period.
Children’s meals served in restaurants, children’s and family tickets for the cinema, theatre, exhibitions, shows, and concerts, and admission tickets – for both children and adults – to a wide range of different attractions will be eligible for the discount.
Whether you want to visit an amusement park, fairs, circuses, museums, zoos, adventure parks, soft play centre, or something similar this summer, it just got a whole lot cheaper.
This aim of this initiative is to make family days out more affordable, while also supporting businesses through increased footfall.
The Government says it will work with eligible businesses to get the scheme ‘up and running’.
The Government is slashing the prices of cinema tickets, bus travel, and LOADS more across UK for kids this summer / Credit: Artem Kniaz (via Unsplash) | Supplied
And to make it even better, this is a UK-wide initiative, so no matter where you are in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, the reduced rate will apply.
Going one step further, there will also be free bus travel for children aged between five and 15 in England in August, helping to support families getting out and about this summer.
The Government says the Great British Summer Savings initiative supports the action it has already taken to reduce the cost of living – including cutting energy bills, freezing prescription charges, protecting motorists from fuel duty increases, and raising the minimum wage.
Businesses will be able to apply the 5% rate of VAT on eligible sales between 25 June and 1 September 2026.
The Hoot -
9th February 2023 
