Agriculture Standards Summary – May 2025

Looking back at May 2025, the agriculture sector witnessed the publication of a focused but impactful standard: prEN 18165, which defines child safety requirements and test methods for electronic cigarettes and e-liquids. While only one standard was published in this timeframe, its content reflects a broader movement toward consumer safety, risk management, and regulatory alignment across product categories that intersect with agriculture, especially those involving nicotine-containing goods. For industry professionals, quality managers, researchers, and procurement and compliance specialists, understanding the implications of this standard is vital for navigating emerging regulatory expectations and strengthening product stewardship protocols.

Monthly Overview: May 2025

May 2025 presented a concise yet crucial moment for agricultural and related industries, marked by the release of prEN 18165 from the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). Unlike months with diverse standardization activity across crop husbandry, equipment, and environmental management, this period’s attention converged on the interface of agriculture-derived products (nicotine, tobacco alternatives) and public safety imperatives.

The publication of prEN 18165 directly responds to ongoing European Union regulatory initiatives, particularly the 2014/40/EU Tobacco Product Directive. By introducing detailed child resistance mechanisms and test methods, the standard demonstrates a maturing approach to indirect agricultural product regulation—whereby manufacturer and supply chain obligations increasingly incorporate risk mitigation beyond traditional food and farming sectors.

Compared with typical months in agriculture standardization, where coverage may range from seeds to pesticides, May’s focus on consumer protection for nicotine-containing refillables signals a recognition of the agricultural supply chain’s connection to evolving lifestyle goods and societal risks. This is a clear indicator that the regulatory landscape expects all stakeholders—manufacturers, distributors, and even agricultural producers—to proactively address emerging safety issues linked to product innovation.

Standards Published This Month

prEN 18165 – Electronic Cigarettes and E-liquids: Child Safety Requirements and Test Methods

Electronic cigarettes and e-liquids - Child safety requirements and test methods

Published by CEN on 2025-05-27

prEN 18165 specifies comprehensive child resistance mechanisms and detailed testing methodologies for electronic cigarettes and refill containers that contain or are intended to contain nicotine. The scope explicitly aligns with the EU Tobacco Product Directive, focusing on reducing the risk of accidental exposure or ingestion of nicotine by children, rather than covering all product safety considerations.

The standard establishes:

• Rigorous criteria for assessing and minimizing "child appeal" in both product design and packaging. This encompasses color use, shapes, surface textures, decorative features, and imagery that could encourage children's interest or handling.
• Robust mechanical resistance requirements, mandating that products are engineered not to break or leak under normal or foreseeable handling. This greatly reduces the risk of direct contact with nicotine solutions.
• Child-resistant fastenings and opening mechanisms for both open (refillable) and closed (prefilled) system devices, with a mandate that these protective features endure for the product’s specified lifespan.

prEN 18165 also introduces standardized test procedures—including drop and tension tests, and assessments simulating real-world child interactions—to verify the efficacy of design features. Extensive normative and informative annexes guide the practical implementation and evaluation of compliant products, referencing a range of packaging standards (such as EN 862 and ISO 8317) for synergy within the global safety ecosystem.

This standard is especially relevant for:

• Manufacturers and importers of electronic cigarettes and e-liquid refill containers
• Quality managers and safety compliance professionals in the nicotine product supply chain
• Regulatory agencies and market surveillance authorities
• Procurement teams evaluating supplier conformity

By raising the bar for child safety, prEN 18165 harmonizes agricultural product regulation with broader consumer protection trends and underscores the interconnectedness of agricultural inputs (nicotine, flavorings) with downstream product risk management.

Key highlights:

• Defines criteria and tests for child-resistance specific to nicotine-containing refill containers and e-cigarette devices
• Aligns with and operationalizes requirements from the EU Tobacco Product Directive 2014/40/EU
• Includes detailed mechanical resistance and drop/leakage tests, and prohibits designs or packaging with “child appeal” elements

Access the full standard:View prEN 18165 on iTeh Standards

Common Themes and Industry Trends

May 2025’s release of prEN 18165, while singular in count, is significant in its thematic emphasis. The standard demonstrates:

• A shifting industry focus from traditional agricultural standards (crops, livestock) toward commodity-specific consumer protection. This reflects growing recognition that agricultural outputs—such as tobacco and derived nicotine e-liquids—continue to evolve as new forms and formats emerge in the market.

• Increased regulatory convergence between agricultural, chemical, and consumer product safety requirements. Standards like prEN 18165 indicate an expectation that producers and suppliers are attentive to both upstream (cultivation/extraction) and downstream (manufacturing/packaging) risks, fostering holistic quality control systems.

• Stronger alignment with European Union directives, especially in the cross-border regulation of lifestyle and health-adjacent goods. The catchment of child safety regulations around products commonly available at the intersection of agriculture and consumer goods further extends the perimeter of compliance for the sector.

• Greater engagement from technical standardization bodies (like CEN/TC 437), who are increasingly tasked with translating legal requirements into actionable, testable, and certifiable product benchmarks.

The overarching trend is clear: even for renewed or draft standards, there is increasing pressure for harmonized safety provisions throughout the product and supply chain life cycle, extending well into areas—such as electronic nicotine delivery systems—that sit outside conventional agriculture.

Compliance and Implementation Considerations

For organizations affected by prEN 18165, proactive compliance planning is critical. Key steps and strategies include:

1. Immediate review of product portfolios involving e-cigarettes, e-liquids, or refill containers intended for the European market. Assess whether existing designs and packaging align with the detailed child-resistance and appeal criteria in the standard.

2. Update technical documentation, particularly regarding the mechanical durability of closures, drop and tension test compliance, and assessment of design elements for child appeal.

3. Liaise with suppliers and contract manufacturers to ensure all product components—down to closures/caps, materials, and labels—meet the clarified requirements and withstand the specified test regimens and product lifetimes documented in technical files.

4. Implement in-house or third-party product testing to validate compliance with the prescribed methods, including simulation of child interaction and stress-based tests for breakage and leakage.

5. Engage regulatory affairs and legal experts for cross-referencing prEN 18165 requirements against national/EU regulatory obligations, documenting a compliance roadmap, and managing timelines—particularly as products reach market or are imported.

6. Train staff and update procurement checklists, with explicit focus on identifying non-compliant items, ensuring that purchasing decisions are future-proofed in anticipation of enforcement.

Timeline Considerations: Organizations should be guided by the standard’s publication (May 2025) and monitor for its advancement through the formal European standard adoption process. Early engagement in implementation will mitigate the risks of supply chain disruption or product recalls as enforcement and market surveillance tighten.

Resources:

• iTeh Standards platform (https://standards.iteh.ai) for full document access and technical support
• Annexes in prEN 18165 for test procedures and implementation examples
• National standards bodies and industry associations for updates on standard adoption and future revisions

Conclusion: Key Takeaways from May 2025

May 2025 was notable for those in the agriculture sector due to the publication of prEN 18165—a standard that bridges agricultural inputs, public health, regulatory compliance, and product innovation. Its focus on child safety requirements and test methods for electronic nicotine delivery systems underscores an evolving regulatory environment that demands heightened attention to consumer risk, especially in products derived from agricultural commodities.

Professionals should recognize that even single-standard months can introduce substantial compliance and operational challenges. Aligning with prEN 18165 provides a robust framework not only for regulatory conformity, but also for bolstering trust and safety in consumer markets.

Staying current with the development and adoption of such standards is essential for organizations positioned anywhere along the agriculture-to-market value chain. Take this opportunity to review internal controls, supply chain arrangements, and product stewardship initiatives in light of this influential new standard—and ensure your operations lead in both safety and compliance.

Discover more standards and stay up to date with developments by visiting iTeh Standards: https://standards.iteh.ai