HYDERABAD: The Commissioner of Food Safety, Telangana on Saturday took to X to announce the ban on gutkha and pan masala. It said: “The Commissioner of Food Safety has issued a notification prohibiting the manufacture, storage, distribution, transportation and sale of gutkha/pan masala which contains tobacco and nicotine, with effect from May 24, 2024’’.
‘’In exercise of the powers conferred under clause (a) of Sub-section (2) of Section 30 of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 rcad with 2.3.4 of Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulation 2011 and in the interest of public health, Commissioner of Food Safety, Telangana state hereby prohibits the manufacture, storage, distribution, transportation and sale of gutkha and pan masala which contains tobacco and nicotine as an ingredient which are packed in sachets /pouches/package containers, or by whatever name it is called in the entire State of Telangana for a period of one year with effect from May 24, 2024,” the notification read.
The decision was made in the interest of public health, aiming to curb the consumption of harmful substances in the state. The ban covers all forms of packaging, including sachets, pouches, package containers.