The federal government is doing a little window-shopping for cigarettes — a million of them.

Health Canada recently issued a tender notice asking suppliers what it would cost to purchase a million very low-nicotine cigarettes as part of its wider tobacco control strategy.

VLN cigarettes, which have less than 0.4 mg of nicotine each, aren't available in Canada now. The tender notice is meant to find out which companies could make them and at what cost.