Srinagar :The Food & Drugs Administration (FDA), Jammu & Kashmir, has issued a comprehensive ban on the manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution, and sale of all food products containing tobacco and nicotine as ingredients.
The order is issued by Commissioner FDA, J&K, who is also designated as Commissioner of Food Safety, J&K, in the interest of public health and in exercise of powers under Section 30(2)(a) & (b) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, in accordance with Regulation 2.3.4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011, keeping in view directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, and advisories issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Government of India.
The prohibition covers Gutkha, Pan Masala containing tobacco/nicotine, and all chewable or flavoured food products containing tobacco and/or nicotine, whether sold as a single product or in separate packages intended to be mixed and consumed together. The order will remain in force across the entire Union Territory for a period of one year starting June 2026.
The measure aims to safeguard public health, particularly protecting children, adolescents, youth and other vulnerable groups from the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine consumption.
The Commissioner has directed all Designated Officers, Food Safety Officers and enforcement teams across the Union Territory to intensify market surveillance, inspections and enforcement drives. Special focus has been laid on educational institutions, public places, transport hubs, wholesale markets and areas frequented by young consumers.
The Food & Drugs Administration has appealed to general public, educational institutions, civil society organizations, traders’ associations and other stakeholders, to support the initiative and report any instances of manufacture, storage, transportation or sale of prohibited products to the concerned authorities through the Toll-Free Number 104, by email at [email protected] , or through the FSSAI consumer grievance portal, https://foscos.fssai.gov.in/consumergrievance.
