FSSAI tightens pan masala packaging norms; bans plastic, foil and synthetic laminates
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has amended packaging norms to prohibit plastic, aluminium foil, metallized layers, and synthetic laminates for pan masala.
Approved packaging materials are now limited to paper, paperboard, cellulose-based materials, tin, or glass — all free of plastics and aluminium foil.
The change was formalised through the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Amendment Regulations, 2026, published in the Gazette of India on 10 August 2026, and takes effect from the date of publication.
Pan masala has been formally added to Schedule IV of the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018, which prescribes statutory packaging materials for specific food categories.
FSSAI's Statutory Basis and Packaging Regulation Power
FSSAI is a statutory body established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which consolidated multiple earlier food laws (including the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954) into a single framework. Under this Act, FSSAI has rule-making power over packaging and labelling standards to protect public health, exercised through Regulations such as the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018.
Key Details
- Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 — the parent legislation establishing FSSAI, operational since 2011.
- FSSAI functions under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018 lay down permitted packaging materials by food category via Schedules; the 2026 amendment adds pan masala-specific restrictions to Schedule IV.
- Violations of packaging regulations attract penalties under the 2006 Act, including product seizure and licence action.
The pan masala packaging ban is a direct exercise of FSSAI's rule-making authority under the 2006 Act, using the amendment mechanism to update Schedule IV rather than requiring fresh legislation.
Plastic Waste Management and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
India's approach to reducing plastic pollution combines direct-use bans (like the pan masala packaging rule) with a broader Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 (amended 2022), which makes producers, importers, and brand owners responsible for collecting and recycling the plastic packaging they introduce into the market.
Key Details
- Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 (amended 2018, 2021, 2022) are notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
- A nationwide ban on identified single-use plastic items (below 120 microns for carry bags, and specific SUP items like cutlery, wrapping film) took effect from 1 July 2022.
- EPR framework requires producers/importers/brand owners to meet annual plastic packaging waste collection and recycling targets, tracked via a centralised EPR portal.
- Multi-layered plastic (MLP) packaging — the type used in traditional pan masala sachets — has faced specific regulatory scrutiny for being non-recyclable.
The FSSAI packaging ban targets a specific product category (pan masala) known for extensive use of non-recyclable multi-layered plastic sachets, complementing the broader EPR and single-use plastic regime by removing plastic at the source rather than relying solely on post-consumer collection.
- Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Amendment Regulations, 2026 — published in the Gazette of India on 10 August 2026; effective from date of publication.
- Banned materials: plastic (including polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC), aluminium foil, metallized layers, synthetic laminates.
- Permitted materials: paper, paperboard, cellulose-based material, tin, glass.
- Pan masala added to Schedule IV of the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018.
- Parent Act: Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006; regulator: FSSAI, under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.