Aug 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration

has mandated more people show photo identification when buying

tobacco products, as the health regulator raised the age

verification requirement by three years.

As part of a rule finalized by the agency on Thursday, the

FDA now requires retailers to verify the age of anyone under 30

when they buy tobacco products, from under 27 previously.

The FDA also said retailers cannot sell tobacco products via

vending machine in places where individuals under 21 are present

or permitted to enter, from 18 years previously.

The United States has been cracking down on the use of

tobacco over the past few years to curb preventable deaths from

smoking and other products, as well as stop the use of

e-cigarettes by minors.

"Decades of science have shown that keeping tobacco products

away from youth is critical to reducing the number of people who

ultimately become addicted to these products," said Brian King,

director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products.

The World Health Organization had said in May tobacco

companies were trying to hook a new generation on nicotine by

actively targeting them via social media, sports and music

festivals.

The FDA had raised the minimum age for tobacco use to 21

years from 18 in 2019.

According to the American Lung Association, smoking kills

more than 480,000 people per year in the United States, making

it the leading preventable cause of death in the country.

Shares of tobacco companies such as Philip Morris ( PM ) and

Altria ( MO ) were flat in morning trading.