Authorities crack down on ‘cigar-shaped egg rolls’ as tobacco control enforcement tightens
In an unusual twist to routine health inspections, authorities have seized cigar-shaped egg rolls from local shops, highlighting an expanded crackdown on loopholes in Macau’s tobacco control laws.
The Health Bureau (SSM) reported 1,524 violations in the first quarter of 2026, with creative food products now coming under increased scrutiny.
Inspectors found that some merchants were selling snack rolls designed to resemble cigars, including the use of the word “cigar” in product names.
Officials said this violates Article 18 of the Tobacco Control Law, which prohibits food or toys shaped like tobacco products. Offenders face fines ranging from MOP20,000 to MOP200,000.
Overall enforcement efforts saw health inspectors conduct 65,528 inspections between January and March, averaging 728 checks per day.
Of the total violations, 1,459 were related to illegal smoking. Casinos recorded the highest number of cases with 254, accounting for 17.4% of smoking-related offences, followed by restaurants with 245 cases and public transport stops with 192.
The Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau also participated in 163 casino inspections, which led to the detection of 254 illegal smoking cases.
Authorities additionally recorded 43 cases involving e-cigarettes being brought across Macau’s borders.
A further 22 cases involved suspected breaches of other Tobacco Control Law provisions, including failure to display no-smoking signs and missing notices prohibiting tobacco sales to persons under 18.
On alcohol control, two cases were recorded for violations, including failure to display mandatory health warnings in Chinese, Portuguese and English, absence of signage restricting alcohol sales to minors, and improper separation of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage areas in self-service outlets.
The SSM reminded businesses that tobacco advertising in any form, whether online or in-store, is prohibited. Alcohol advertising must also comply with multilingual warning requirements. The bureau reiterated that violations involving tobacco-shaped food products carry fines of MOP20,000 to MOP200,000.
The first-quarter figures reflect ongoing enforcement of tobacco and alcohol control measures across Macau. The SSM said case files have been opened regarding the cigar-shaped egg rolls, and inspections will continue across retail outlets.
