Office of the Commissionerate of Food Safety confirms the ban on forms of chewing tobacco products from 02 October

Port Blair, Sept 28: The Office of the Commissionerate of Food Safety has confirmed the ban on use of all forms of chewing tobacco like Gutkha, Zarda, Pan Masala, tobacco leaf of food in which tobacco and or nicotine are widely used as ingredients and also Pan Masala based sugar based confectionary products from 02 October, in a press conference held at the conference Hall of Directorate of Health Services this afternoon at 04:30pm.

Addressing the press conference, the Officiating Director of Food Safety, Dr Abhijit Roy said that as per Regulation 2.3.4 of the food safety and Standard (Prohibition & Restriction on sale) Regulation, 2011 made by the Food Safety and standards Authority of India, provide that product not to obtain any substance which may be injurious to health and tobacco and nicotine shall not be used as ingredient in any food products thus the regulation will be completely implemented in the whole AN Islands as Under Section 30 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the Commissioner Food Safety of the State/ Union Territory is empowered to prohibit the manufacture, storage, distribution or sale of any articles of food in the whole of the State/Union Territory in the interest of public health from 02 October, 2016 as the Lt Governor took interest into it.

He added that Port Authorities also informed all the ports and Jetties in the mainland like Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Mumbai, Vizag to check that no import has to be done of the above mentioned banned products.

Answering to a question he said that stock of the above products are of nearly Rs 4 crores in the market and this issue will be settled by administration.

Giving a brief on Cancers in Andaman & Nicobar Islands he said that in last one year there are nearly 144 referral cases suffering due to Oral Cancer in the islands under ANISHI scheme. He said that nearly 14% of students are addicted to tobacco in the islands.

Further answering to a question the representing Commissioner cum Secretary, Dr S P Burma said that there are many nicotine chewing gum in the market that can help the addicted people, which are also not harmful.