Nagaland has imposed a one-year ban on gutkha, pan masala and all food products containing tobacco or nicotine ingredients.
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DIMAPUR — The Department of Health & Family Welfare, Nagaland, has notified a state-wide ban on the manufacture, processing, packaging, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of food products containing tobacco or nicotine as ingredients, including gutkha and pan masala mixed with tobacco or nicotine.
According to a DIPR report, the notification is in accordance with Regulation 2.3.4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sale of Certain Products) Regulations, 2011, which prohibits the use of tobacco and nicotine as ingredients in any food product.
The department stated that tobacco and nicotine are prohibited ingredients under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and highlighted the serious public health risks posed by the widespread consumption of smokeless tobacco products, particularly among children and young adults.
The notification also referred to the Supreme Court of India’s order dated September 23, 2016, in Transfer Case (Civil) No. 1 of 2010 (Central Areca Nut Marketing Corporation & Others).
According to the notification, the court observed that manufacturers had been circumventing the gutkha ban by selling pan masala and flavoured chewing tobacco in separate sachets, often marketed and sold together, enabling consumers to mix them before consumption.
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The department further cited a directive issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on March 27, 2026, instructing Food Safety Commissioners of all States and Union Territories to ensure strict compliance with the Supreme Court’s directions and Regulation 2.3.4.
In compliance with these directives and exercising powers under Section 30(2) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the Commissioner of Food Safety, Nagaland, has imposed the prohibition for a period of one year across the state.
The ban covers all food products containing tobacco or nicotine as ingredients, whether chewable or otherwise, including flavoured, scented, processed or mixed products.
It specifically applies to gutkha, pan masala and similar products containing tobacco or nicotine, irrespective of the name under which they are marketed.
The prohibition also extends to products sold in separate packages but distributed or marketed in a manner that facilitates their mixing and consumption by users.
The department stated that the measure has been taken in the interest of public health and to ensure effective enforcement of food safety regulations across Nagaland.