In its last week letters to over a dozen Web-based companies, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned them about their violation of the countrywide ban on the sale of flavored cigarettes to US consumers.

The FDA has also asked these companies to give in writing how they intend to conform to the ban, which was signed into legislation in June this year, under the Tobacco Control Act, and came into official effect from September 22.

The FDA noted that despite the mentioned ban on the sale of cigarettes in candy, fruit and clove flavors, the Web companies, that have been recently given the warning, were still continuing with their online sale of the illegal tobacco products.

As per the federal health authorities and regulators, the flavored tobacco products were banned largely because they attracted young people and new smokers, as misleading labels like 'low tar' and 'light,' gave the impression that certain tobacco products were not-so-harmful.

In a statement pertaining to the violation of the ban, Dr. Lawrence R. Deyton, director of FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, said: "FDA takes the enforcement of this flavored cigarette ban seriously. These actions should send a clear message to those who continue to break the law that FDA will take necessary actions to protect our children from initiating tobacco use."