WHAT IS BANNED?
• Manufacture, processing, packaging, storage, transport, distribution and sale of food products containing tobacco or nicotine.
• Applies to all such products, whether chewable or otherwise, flavoured, scented, or mixed with additives.
• Includes gutkha, pan masala, flavoured/scented food products and other chewable products containing tobacco or nicotine.
• Covers products sold packaged or unpackaged, as a single product or as separate products marketed in a way that facilitates mixing by consumers.
• Extends to all food products containing tobacco and/or nicotine, regardless of the name under which they are sold in Nagaland.
Kohima, June 4 (MExN): The Commissioner of Food Safety, Nagaland, has prohibited the manufacture, processing, packaging, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of all food products containing tobacco or nicotine as ingredients across the State for a period of one year.
The prohibition has been issued in the interest of public health and in compliance with the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011, as well as directions of the Supreme Court of India and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), as per the State DIPR.
According to a notification issued by the Department of Health & Family Welfare, Regulation 2.3.4 of the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011, stipulates that tobacco and nicotine shall not be used as ingredients in any food product.
The provision covers products such as gutkha, pan masala containing tobacco or nicotine, and other food items in which tobacco or nicotine is used as an ingredient, it highlighted.
The notification noted that the widespread use of smokeless tobacco and nicotine products, particularly when mixed with food items such as pan masala, gutkha and other processed, flavoured or scented condiments, poses serious health risks, especially to children and young adults.
It further cited the Supreme Court's order in Central Arecanut Marketing Corporation and others Vs Union of India, dated September 23, 2016 which observed that manufacturers were circumventing the ban on gutkha by selling pan masala and flavoured chewing tobacco in separate sachets that are often sold together, allowing consumers to mix them before consumption.
The FSSAI, through a letter issued on March 27, 2026, directed Food Safety Commissioners of all States and Union Territories to take necessary measures to ensure full compliance with the Supreme Court's directions and Regulation 2.3.4 of the 2011 Regulations, it added.
The notification observed that several products containing tobacco and nicotine continue to be widely available in the market despite the regulatory prohibition, posing a hazard to public health.
Accordingly, the ban extends to all food products containing tobacco or nicotine as ingredients, whether chewable or otherwise, including flavoured or scented products and those mixed with toxic additives.
It also covers products marketed as gutkha, pan masala, flavoured or scented food products, and other chewable products containing tobacco or nicotine.
The prohibition applies to both packaged and unpackaged products.
It further covers products sold either as a single item or in separate packages that are marketed or distributed in a manner that facilitates their mixing by consumers.
The notification stated that the ban applies to all such products, irrespective of the name under which they are sold or made available in Nagaland.
The DIPR report, however, did not provide details on penalties, implementation mechanisms, or other related issues.
While the report did not specify an effective date, the prohibition is understood to have come into force immediately upon its issuance.
