In a major public health intervention aimed at curbing the growing use of smokeless tobacco products, the Commissioner of Food Safety, Nagaland has imposed a one-year statewide ban on the manufacture, storage, distribution, transportation and sale of all food products containing tobacco or nicotine, including gutkha and pan masala mixed with tobacco or nicotine.

The prohibition has been issued by the Department of Health & Family Welfare in compliance with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011, and subsequent directives of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) as well as the Supreme Court of India.

According to the notification, Regulation 2.3.4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011 clearly stipulates that tobacco and nicotine shall not be used as ingredients in any food product. The order comes amid growing concern over the widespread consumption of smokeless tobacco products, particularly among children and young adults, and their serious health consequences.

The ban covers all food products containing tobacco or nicotine as ingredients, whether chewable or otherwise, including flavoured, scented or processed products sold under various names. Authorities clarified that the prohibition applies not only to gutkha and pan masala containing tobacco or nicotine, but also to any packaged or unpackaged food products sold in a manner that facilitates mixing tobacco with food products by consumers.

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The notification pointed out that despite earlier restrictions, manufacturers and vendors have often circumvented the ban by selling pan masala and flavoured chewing tobacco in separate sachets but from the same premises, enabling consumers to mix and consume them together. The Supreme Court, in its order dated September 23, 2016, had taken note of this practice and directed stricter enforcement measures to prevent such violations.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), through a communication issued on March 27, 2026, directed all States and Union Territories to ensure full compliance with the Supreme Court’s directions and the provisions of Regulation 2.3.4.

Acting on these directives and in the interest of public health, the Commissioner of Food Safety, Nagaland, has ordered a complete prohibition across the state for a period of one year on:

• Manufacture, processing, packaging, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of all food products containing tobacco or nicotine as ingredients.
• Flavoured, scented and processed chewable food products mixed with tobacco or nicotine.
• Gutkha, pan masala and similar products containing tobacco or nicotine.
• Products sold separately but packaged, marketed or distributed in a manner that enables easy mixing by consumers.

Health authorities have emphasized that the continued use of such products poses serious health risks, including oral cancer, cardiovascular diseases and other life-threatening illnesses. The ban is expected to strengthen tobacco control measures in Nagaland and protect vulnerable sections of society, particularly youth, from the harmful effects of nicotine addiction.

The Department has urged manufacturers, distributors, retailers and the public to strictly comply with the order, warning that violations will attract action under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.