Hyderabad: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has banned the use of plastic and aluminium foil for packaging pan masala, allowing manufacturers to use tin or glass containers instead.
The new rules were notified through the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Amendment Regulations, 2026, published in the Gazette of India.
Under the amendment, pan masala has been added to Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018.
Manufacturers can now use paper, paperboard, cellulose and other naturally derived materials for pan masala packaging. However, these materials must be completely free from plastic.
The regulations prohibit packaging containing polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), synthetic polymers, copolymers or laminates.
FSSAI Sets New Pan Masala Packaging Rules
The new rules also prohibit the use of aluminium foil and metallised layers in paper and naturally derived packaging materials.
However, FSSAI has specifically permitted manufacturers to use tin or glass containers for pan masala.
The amendment also makes certain provisions of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, applicable to pan masala packaging.
FSSAI finalised the amendment after completing a public consultation process. The regulator had issued draft regulations on April 28 and invited objections and suggestions for 60 days.
The suggestions received during the consultation were considered before the final regulations were notified.
The FSSAI clarification is important because the amendment does not ban pan masala as a product.
Instead, the new regulations focus specifically on the materials that manufacturers can use to package pan masala.
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