Uttarakhand bans products containing tobacco and nicotine in the state for a year. (Source: File)The Uttarakhand government has prohibited the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of gutka, pan masala and other food products containing tobacco or nicotine across the state for one year.The order issued by Uttarakhand FDA Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey invokes the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, in the interest of public health.Section 30(2)(a) of the Act empowers a state Food Safety Commissioner to prohibit the manufacture, storage, distribution or sale of any food article across the state for up to one year, if necessary in the interest of public health.The order refers to Regulation 2.3.4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011, which states that tobacco and nicotine shall not be used as ingredients in any food product.Explaining the rationale for the prohibition, the order by the Food Safety and Drug Administration Commissioner states: “Since tobacco and nicotine are being used as ingredients in gutka and pan masala, and a large quantity of tobacco and nicotine is being used as ingredients in food products, it is necessary, in the interest of public health, to prohibit (them).”The order has been circulated to the Chief Secretary, the Health Department, the Director General of Health, all district magistrates, chief medical officers and officials of the FDA.The Uttarakhand order is part of a wider effort by states to enforce restrictions on tobacco and nicotine in food products.Story continues below this adThe Union government had previously told Parliament that 33 states and Union Territories had issued orders to implement the food safety regulations banning the manufacture, sale and storage of gutka and pan masala containing tobacco or nicotine.In January, Odisha had issued a comprehensive order prohibiting the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and consumption of gutka and food products containing tobacco or nicotine in the state. The move was intended to address ambiguities in the earlier ban and prevent circumvention of the restrictions.More recently, in August, Karnataka also imposed a one-year prohibition on the manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of gutka, pan masala and other such products.The challenge for authorities has been ensuring that manufacturers and retailers do not circumvent restrictions by selling components separately.Story continues below this adIn 2016, the Supreme Court directed statutory authorities to enforce the prohibition on food products containing tobacco and nicotine, and asked the health secretaries of all states and Union Territories to submit affidavits on compliance with the ban. An Award-winning journalist covering the state of Uttarakhand, Vidheesha Kuntamalla has reported on education, policy and social justice. She has broken news and written investigative stories on education, some of which have prompted responses from central universities and government authorities. She uses the Right to Information Act as a reporting tool and enjoys telling people-driven stories through long-form journalism. Vidheesha joined The Indian Express’s Delhi City team in 2023, where she has been part of the education coverage in the newsroom, reporting on policy, institutions, and issues affecting students and communities. Her journalism career began in 2020 as a freelance journalist after she left a career in civil engineering. She covered her home states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, focusing on gender, social justice, and politics. Vidheesha Kuntamalla Qualification, Degrees: Master of Science in Quantity Surveying from Kingston University, London Awards and Recognition: Vidheesha won the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award in 2024 for her long-form story on India’s first case of passive euthanasia. ... Read More Tags:Uttrakhand