Tobacco companies have stated that plain packs could easily be copied, but a new report from the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health said security features could still be used on standard packs.
The group said that public spending on action against the illicit tobacco trade is highly cost effective, saving as much as 10 in tax for every 1 spent.
'Tobacco industry propaganda'
Liberal Democrat MP for Bristol West and chair of the APPG Stephen Williams said: "The UK has a good record in recent years in tackling the illicit tobacco trade, although it remains a serious challenge.
"Enforcement agencies are increasingly effective in co-ordinating their actions, regional partnerships around the UK have done excellent work, and the UK government quite rightly made specific provision for HMRC to fight illicit trade in the last public spending round.
"Contrary to tobacco industry propaganda there is no good reason to think that standardised packs will increase illicit trade. The tobacco industry knows that standard packs will cut the number of children pulled into this lethal addiction – that's why they are running an expensive and mendacious campaign to try to scare the government off."
Members concluded that there is no good evidence to show the introduction of standardised packs will increase illicit trade and existing packs are easy to counterfeit.
According to the APPG, enforcement agencies do not rely on pack design to test whether packs are illicit.? Instead they use a number of security features found on existing packaging, including coded numbers and covert anti-counterfeit marks, all of which would also be present on standardised packs.
Last December Australia became the first country in the world to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes.
The APPG is calling on the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, to ensure that legislation to put all tobacco products in standard packs is included in the next parliamentary session.
'The role of packaging'
Former packaging industry executive Mike Ridgway is spokesman for the UK Packaging Industry Group which is campaigning against plain packs. The group includes seven packaging producers. He slammed APPG's report.
Ridgway told PN: "The APPG failed to engage with the packaging manufacturing industry on?the subject of packaging that they know nothing about!
"The role of packaging in combating the counterfeiter takes many forms and includes not just the graphical design but also the shape?of bevelled edges, side openings and construction innovations.
"The report fails to mention other forms of packaging. For example, tins, composite cans, pouches, laminate and plastic injection mouldings.
"Combating the counterfeiter is not just restricted to the manufacturing but involves control over the re-pro and digital files, waste control and many other features.
"The packaging industry innovates to introduce complexity into the process. For example, the Lambert & Butler pack has had for major design and construction changes in five years. A standardised ' plain ' pack is just that – with the reduction of SKU's allowing mass production of counterfeit packs.
"No mention was made regarding the dangers that counterfeit products hold with 'unregulated ' product contained within the packs. For example, rat droppings and toxic substances etc."
