The Government of Manipur on October 27, 2025, notified regarding the Prohibition and Restriction on sale of food products containing tobacco and nicotine as ingredients.
The Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations, 2011 prohibit the sale of food products containing tobacco or nicotine because they are injurious to health. Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, any substance used in the manufacture of food and present in the final product is considered an ingredient. Products such as gutkha, pan masala with tobacco or nicotine, and other chewable tobacco products are therefore classified as unsafe and hazardous to human health, warranting a complete ban on their manufacture, storage, distribution, and sale.
The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, in its order dated September 23, 2016, observed that manufacturers were attempting to bypass the ban by selling pan masala and flavored chewing tobacco in separate sachets, often sold together from the same premises. This practice enabled consumers to mix the products themselves, effectively recreating gutkha. The Court directed all States and Union Territories to strictly enforce Regulation 2.3.4 and ensure total compliance with the ban on gutkha and pan masala containing tobacco and/or nicotine.
Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the Commissioner of Food Safety is empowered to prohibit any food article that is unsafe or hazardous to public health. Exercising powers under Section 30(2)(a) of the Act, and guided by the principles outlined in Section 18, the Commissioner is authorized to issue orders in the interest of public health.
Accordingly, the Commissioner of Food Safety, Manipur, has prohibited for a period of one year the manufacture, storage, distribution, and sale of gutkha, pan masala containing tobacco or nicotine, and all forms of chewing tobacco, regardless of their name, form, packaging, or method of sale. This includes products sold separately but in a manner that facilitates mixing by consumers, with the ban applicable across the entire State of Manipur.
[Notification No. MED-1401/12/2021-HS-HEALTH]
