The Health Ministry intends to ban gutkha, pan masala and other edible forms of tobacco, citing a Supreme Court ruling that that these products are food, reports Express India.

The Supreme Court (SC) had observed that since pan masala, gutkha or supari are eaten for taste and nourishment, they are all food within the meaning of Section 2(v) of the  Prevention of Food adulteration (PFA) Act. It is illegal to mix harmful materials like tobacco in food.
During the launch of a new tobacco control campaign, "Tobacco is eating your baby alive", Additional Secretary K Desairaju said: “We are in the process of sending a notification to states. The SC in a case on gutkha packaging had observed that gutkha is food. We are awaiting a final SC ruling in the matter, but our stand is that if gutkha is food and as per the Food Safety and Standards Act it is illegal to mix harmful things in food, then tobacco and zarda, which are known harmful items, should not be mixed in food.”
The Ministry has already taken action against the gutkha industry by making it compulsory to carry statutory health warnings on the gutkha packets. (pi)