Is gutka food or bad? Centre in a dilemma

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Should gutka be categorised as a 'food product' and banned, or should it be regulated? Differences over the issue have surfaced within the health ministry, which, confused, is approaching the law ministry to get a final opinion.

While the new rules of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, an autonomous body under the health ministry, say “anything that is food and contains nicotine or tobacco must be banned,” another section of the health ministry feels that as per the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act of 2003, there should be regulation, and not a complete ban.

The COTP Act suggests regulation of trade and commerce, production, supply and distribution of gutka.

Officials say a ban on smokeless tobacco products was never thought feasible because the industry employs a large number of people and it would affect their livelihood. Incidentally, the FSSAI’s new rules prohibit tobacco being used as an ingredient in any food product.

However, with the COTP Act talking merely about regulation, the states have refused to adhere to the FSSAI notification.

“There is a contradiction. While our act lists gutka as an item which needs to be regulated, the FSSAI calls for a total ban. We have now asked the law ministry to clear the confusion and take a final call,” said a senior health ministry official.

Statistics show nearly 0.9 million deaths occur in India every year. According to the recent Global Adult Tobacco Survey, out of the 35 per cent of adults in India that use tobacco in some form or the other, 21 per cent (163.7 million adults) use smokeless tobacco, nine per cent smoke and five per cent smoke as well as use smokeless tobacco.