Jharkhand bans 11 pan-masala brands on health concerns

Jharkhand health minister said the ban would also help contain the spread of Covid-19 in Jharkhand, as people spit after consuming Pan Masala.

The Jharkhand government has banned 11 premium brands of pan-masala for a year, as products contain magnesium carbonate which can cause acute hyper magnesia and sometimes cardiac arrest, as per the notification issued by the department of health, medical education and family welfare on Friday.

A roadside shop is seen selling Pan masala and Tobacco in Noida. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT File Photo)

Jharkhand health minister Banna Gupta said, “Adding magnesium carbonate as an ingredient in pan-masala contravenes the Food Safety Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. So, keeping in mind the public health, ban was imposed on 11 premium brands for a year.”

Gupta said the ban would also help contain the spread of Covid-19 in Jharkhand, as people spit after consuming Pan Masala. “The ban will be implemented strictly in Jhakhand,” he said.

Socio-economic and educational development society (SEEDS), a technical partner in state government’s tobacco control programme, executive director Deepak Mishra said Jharkhand became third state in the country after Maharashtra and Bihar that banned Pan Masala.As per the notification, 41 samples of pan-masalas of different brands, were collected from different districts of Jharkhand for lab tests during 2019-2020.