Selling tobacco products and vapes to minors has been prohibited for years, yet only half of retailers comply with the law, according to inspections involving mystery shoppers.
Figures requested by MP Els Van Hoof (CD&V) from Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) show that traditional inspections reveal only 3% of retailers selling tobacco to minors.
However, when mystery shoppers are used, this figure jumps to 54%.
Last year, the Ministry of Health sent mystery shoppers to 902 businesses.
The findings indicate a stark regional disparity, with 75% of retailers in Wallonia caught selling tobacco to minors, compared to 57% in the Brussels region and 48% in Flanders.
Since 1 November 2019, the legal age for purchasing tobacco products and vapes has been raised from 16 to 18.
Mystery shoppers also targeted 1,065 outlets in 2025 to check for alcohol sales to minors, uncovering violations in 76% of cases.
By contrast, only 4% of retailers are caught during traditional inspections, according to Het Belang van Limburg.
