A preservative used to lengthen the shelf life of gutkha packets is a packetful of problems in itself.
A preservative used to lengthen the shelf life of gutkha packets is a packetful of problems in itself.
A recent report released by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) shows that 7% of the contents of an average gutkha packet is magnesium carbonate, which is used by the gutkha manufacturing companies as an anti-caking agent.
Magnesium carbonate is a chemical compound most commonly found in fire extinguishers and is definitely not meant for ingestion, according to Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, a surgical oncologist from Tata Memorial Centre. “Seven percent is a very high amount. It causes irritation of the mucosa, eyes, fingers, anything that it comes in contact with. There is magnesium carbonate in the common salt we buy, but the quantity is minuscule. If ingested in the high amount present in gutkha packets, it can cause ulcers,” Chaturvedi says.
“There haven’t been any medical studies done on this, simply because you can’t force people to ingest that much magnesium carbonate for the purpose of science. And if we test gutkha consumers, then the compound’s effect is masked by the overall harmful effects of gutkha.”
The FDA is now expected to seize a lot of gutkha packets and ban companies that have been using magnesium carbonate in such generous amounts. However, not everyone is convinced that this is the right course of action.
“The FDA has been doing this repeatedly for the past five to six years. It conducts surprise raids, finds high levels of magnesium carbonate and bans the products momentarily. The companies then reduce the amount and the ban is lifted. Why does the FDA want to ban gutkha products on the basis of magnesium carbonate when there are more harmful substances, such as tobacco, in them?” asks Chaturvedi.
There is already a law in place to ban the sale of chewing tobacco or gutkha in Maharashtra. According to regulation 2.3.4 of the Food Safety and Standards Regulation passed on August 5, 2011, by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, tobacco can’t be mixed in any food items. As gutkha has multiple ingredients, it is considered a food item sold with tobacco in it and, hence, can be banned.
The new law has been used very effectively by the Madhya Pradesh government to ban the manufacture and sale of gutkha in the state (enforced from April 1, 2012). According to the state’s FDA minister Satish Patil, Maharashtra too wants to enforce this law, but the law ministry is still looking at possible challenges, which is why it’s not being implemented.
Arpita Singh, a legal officer involved in tobacco control, explains what the hold-up is about. “Section 44J of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA), which was repealed when the August 5 regulation came into effect, had language similar to that used in regulation 2.3.4 of the new act. 44J of the old PFA was challenged by the gutkha companies and the Supreme Court put a stay on it. This is why the law ministry is taking its time to go through the new regulation and make sure it is fully prepared if such challenges arise again,” she says.
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