Pouch Patrol Announces the Winner of the 2025 Ostrich Award

Pouch Patrol today announces the first-ever Ostrich Award, a satirical prize for policymakers who ignore clear evidence on tobacco harm reduction. This year’s recipient: EU Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, who recently declared: 

“The WHO has observed that nicotine-containing products, in particular e-cigarettes and nicotine sachets, generate substances known to cause cancer and expose users to carcinogens. For this reason, these products are associated with an increased risk of cancer.”
— Olivér Várhelyi, responding to a parliamentary question on EU tobacco rules  

When asked if products like nicotine pouches are as harmful as traditional cigarettes, the answer was: “Yes. I am. Absolutely. One hundred percent.” 

The statement epitomizes the head-in-the-sand approach that the Ostrich Award seeks to spotlight.  

Why the Ostrich? 

Because nothing says “policy denial” like a head buried in the sand to avoid looking at decades of Swedish data showing that risk-proportionate regulation saves lives. 

• Sweden: Daily smoking prevalence has fallen to 5.4% among adults (16–84) and just 2% among young adults (16–29). Occasional smoking prevalence rates for these groups are 5.5% and 9.8%, respectively. 

• Hungary: Let’s compare that to the commissioner’s home country, where adult smoking prevalence remains around 30% (men 34.7%, women 24.5%). Around 17,000 Hungarians die from smoking each year.  

The Evidence Ignored 

A 2024 study in Harm Reduction Journal estimates that around 3,000 lives per year have been saved in Sweden thanks to Swedish snus, which began to displace cigarettes in the 1970s. The analysis compared observed mortality with counterfactual scenarios where snus was absent.  

This is not fringe science. It’s peer-reviewed evidence that harm reduction works. We are happy to provide many more published studies for Mr. Várhelyi to read when he emerges from the sand. 

What’s at Stake 

The EU’s current trajectory—treating all nicotine products as equally harmful—risks stalling progress toward smoke-free goals. Sweden achieved the lowest smoking rate in Europe not with bans or draconian taxes, but by allowing the sale of alternative nicotine products. Meanwhile, EU proposals for tax harmonization and blanket restrictions threaten to erase these gains. 

“Snus and nicotine pouches have saved thousands of Swedes from premature death—and they could do the same for other member states. Ignoring the evidence is misguided and dangerous,” says Markus Lindblad, Head of Communications at Pouch Patrol.