The ban on consumption of tobacco products such as gutka and pan masala has been tightened in Goa with the State Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) banning the products under the Food Safety Standards Act (FSSA), 2006. The Act came into force in 2011.
Salim Veljee, Goa Director of FDA, said the gutka lobby was trying to exploit loopholes in the ban under Public Health Act by separating Ghutka from pan masala using packaging gimmicks. “By banning the products under the FSSA, the loophole has been fixed. This ban makes everything consumed orally associated with tobacco as food.”
As per Food and Safety Standards Authority of India, under the Act, gutka and pan masala consumed in any form and used in any type of containers for production, sale, consumption and storage will be banned for one year.
