The Meals Security and Requirements Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed stricter packaging guidelines for pan masala merchandise, searching for to ban using plastic and multilayer packaging supplies generally utilized in sachet packs bought throughout India.
In a draft notification issued on April 28, 2026, the meals regulator proposed amendments to the Meals Security and Requirements (Packaging) Rules, 2018, stating, “Pan Masala shall be packed solely in paper or paper board or cellulose based mostly supplies or different supplies derived from naturally occurring substances free from plastic materials.”
The draft notification additional mentioned pan masala packaging materials ought to be “free from plastic resembling polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, poly vinyl chloride and different plastic supplies or some other artificial polymers or laminates.”
It additionally proposed that pan masala merchandise might alternatively be packed in “tin or glass containers”.
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In a major transfer for the flexible-packaging business, the regulator proposed that packaging supplies must also be “free from aluminium foil and metalised or plastic supplies.”
The notification moreover referred to provisions underneath the Plastic Waste Administration Guidelines, 2016, which state that “sachet utilizing plastic materials shall not be used for storing, packing or promoting gutkha, tobacco and pan masala.”
The proposal might have implications for producers of versatile plastic laminates and multilayer sachets which can be broadly utilized by the pan masala and chewing tobacco business due to their low value, moisture resistance and ease of transportation.
Multilayer plastic packaging has more and more come underneath regulatory scrutiny as a consequence of recycling challenges. In keeping with the Central Air pollution Management Board, plastic waste stays a significant environmental problem in India, with multilayer plastic waste among the many difficult-to-recycle waste streams.
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Business estimates counsel sachet-based packaging continues to dominate the pan masala market, notably in low-price, high-volume merchandise bought by way of small stores throughout city and rural India.
The draft notification has been issued for public session, with the regulator inviting objections and solutions from stakeholders inside 30 days from the date of publication of the notification.
If applied, the proposed norms might power pan masala producers and packaging suppliers to shift in direction of various packaging supplies, probably growing packaging prices and requiring adjustments in current packaging infrastructure.
