The more popular nicotine pouches become, the more responsible both manufacturers and users must be. One area that has been increasingly receiving attention is the packaging manufacturers use, as this impacts how easily children can open pouch cans. The FDA has urged manufacturers to take measures to reduce the probability of this happening, and it’s likely to continue to be a relevant topic.
This article breaks down the meaning of the announcement, possible directions that future legislation can take, and the role users themselves can play in protecting public health.
Key takeaways
- The FDA has highlighted the need for nicotine pouch manufacturers to use child-resistant packaging after a rise in exposure cases.
- ZYN is one of the only pouch brands to have marketing authorization from the FDA, and it uses child-resistant packaging for its nicotine pouches.
- Pouch users also have a role to play and should store their pouches out of reach of children and in their original packaging.
FDA Calls for Child-Resistant Nicotine Pouch Packaging
In September 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made a press announcement requesting greater use of child-resistant packaging among nicotine pouch manufacturers.
A major regulatory concern facing nicotine pouches is exposure to youth and children, with this being something authorities want to keep at a minimum. As pouch use increases, the risks surrounding them also rise.
One report suggested that in the three years between 2022 and 2025, nicotine pouch exposure rose significantly, and many of these cases involved young children. Very small amounts of nicotine are needed to cause toxic effects, while the consequences are severe.
Although a benefit of nicotine pouches is the lack of secondhand smoke (differentiating them from cigarettes), there’s still a risk of exposure if children can get their hands on them.
Child-secure packaging can mitigate this risk, alongside parents or caregivers taking care to leave pouch cans out of the reach of children.
Regulatory Requirements for Pouch Packaging
At the time of writing, there are no requirements for nicotine pouches to have specific packaging to go on the market. However, for nicotine pouches to reach the final stage of the PMTA process and obtain a marketing granted order (MGO), the FDA takes public health concerns into consideration.
ZYN pouches are some of the only nicotine pouches to reach this stage so far (although that could be about to change with the recent pouch review pilot program). They also make use of child-resistant packaging, which gives a clue about the FDA’s preferences.
Also, the FDA has told manufacturers to contact them if they have applied for a PMTA and would like further information about making sure their packaging is child-resistant.
How to Store Nicotine Pouches Safely
Pouch brands undoubtedly have the responsibility of ensuring the packaging they use is in the interests of public health, especially when it comes to protecting children.
But pouch users themselves also have a role to play through the way they store their nicotine pouches, as they must take care to keep them out of the reach of children.
Above all, this means keeping nicotine pouches in high spaces where children cannot reach them or climb up to grab them. It may even be prudent to consider using some kind of child lock to truly ensure children can’t get their hands on them.
The greatest risks come when pouch users are about to use their portions and have taken them out of their can out in preparation, or when they have just finished placing them in the mouth and need to put the can away. In the heat of the moment, it's easy to put the can down and then forget about it.
The FDA advises pouch users to keep their pouches in original packaging (this means avoiding the use of temporary metal cans or other containers, such as the ones obtained through the ZYN rewards program).
What the Future Holds for Pouch Packaging
There’s no way to predict exactly what the FDA will do next, but it’s clear that this issue is on the radar.
If child-resistant packaging were to become a requirement to obtain a PMTA, the amendments would be barely noticeable to consumers, other than slight differences in how to open and close the cans.
There’s no evidence to suggest the FDA intends to impose even stricter rules as of yet, but it’s not completely out of the question that attention could turn toward the design of the packaging.
In some countries, there are already stringent rules around packaging for tobacco products, like Australia and the UK. These could possibly extend to nicotine pouches at some point.
Although this has not yet been widely discussed for the US context, certain states have introduced flavor bans (such as California), so other areas could possibly become policy targets in the future.
At Prilla, we’re following the news closely for the latest updates, and will cooperate to ensure the safety of consumers (and the general public) where possible.
