Pan masala: FSSAI moots replacing plastic packaging with eco-friendly materials

New Delhi: Food safety watchdog FSSAI on Tuesday proposed replacing plastic packaging materials for pan masala with paper, cellulose and other eco-friendly alternatives.

Proposing amendments to the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018, the regulator said changes mooted are part of ongoing efforts to promote safe, sustainable and eco-friendly packaging practices across the food sector while taking into account industry requirements and technological feasibility.

Pan masala is one of the widely consumed items in the country.

In the draft notification, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has sought to expand the list of suggestive packaging materials for pan masala by including naturally derived options, such as paper, paperboard, cellulose and other similar materials.

These materials are widely recognised for their suitability in food packaging and their potential to support evolving industry practices, as per the regulator.

According to the draft Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Amendment Regulations, 2026, such packaging materials should be free from plastic.

"Plastic material, in any form including Vinyl Acetate - Maleic Acid - Vinyl Chloride Copolymer, shall not be used in any package for packaging gutkha, pan masala and tobacco in all forms," as per the draft notification, for which stakeholder comments can be submitted in the next 30 days.

The proposals also align with the Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016.

Sachets using plastic material should not be used for storing, packing or selling gutkha, tobacco and pan masala, it added.

A health ministry official said the use of established packaging formats, such as tin and glass containers, would continue, thereby ensuring flexibility for manufacturers to adopt packaging solutions best suited to their operational and commercial needs within the regulatory framework.