Maharashtra FDA permits sale of pan masala

While the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already extended the ban on chewing tobacco, the regulatory body, in its latest notification, permitted the sale of areca nut, popularly known as pan masala.

The notification signed by FDA chief Dr Pallavi Darade extended the ban on chewing tobacco for one year, while maintaining that a single-member committee has been formed to review the ban on areca nut.

The move comes as a surprise to public health experts and the medical fraternity as Maharashtra was the first state to ban gutka and pan masala in 2012.

"The WHO and several studies in India have proven beyond doubt that pan masala causes serious health hazards, including mouth and throat cancer. All research material has already been submitted to the FDA a number of times in the past five years. Our state is bound to become a laughing stock if the ban on pan masala is not continued." said professor Pankaj Chaturvedi of Tata Memorial Hospital.