Uttarakhand has imposed a one-year ban on the manufacture, storage, sale and distribution of gutkha, pan masala and other food products containing tobacco or nicotine across the state, citing public health concerns. The order applies to such products regardless of the brand or name under which they are sold.
The prohibition was issued by Uttarakhand Food Safety and Drug Administration Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey under Regulation 2.3.4 of the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011. It will remain in force for one year from the date of the order, according to a report by The Economic Times.
The ban covers the manufacture, storage, sale and distribution of the specified products. The report also describes the restriction as applying to the movement and handling of these products, although it does not provide details of the enforcement machinery, penalties or the number of establishments expected to be affected.
The order covers gutkha, pan masala and other food products containing tobacco or nicotine, irrespective of their branding. This means the restriction is based on the product’s contents rather than the commercial name used on its packaging.
Regulation 2.3.4 of the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011, is the legal basis cited for the action. The provision has previously been used by states to restrict food products containing tobacco or nicotine. The Uttarakhand order therefore places the state within a wider pattern of state-level action against these products through food-safety regulation.
Karnataka imposed a similar one-year ban in August 2026, prohibiting the manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of gutkha, pan masala and other food products containing tobacco or nicotine. Odisha issued a comparable order in January 2026, while restrictions on such products have been in place there since 2013, according to the report.
The latest order creates immediate compliance requirements for manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and distributors operating in Uttarakhand. Businesses handling the affected products will have to stop the activities covered by the order for its one-year duration. The supplied report does not specify whether existing stocks must be withdrawn, destroyed or returned, or how inspections will be conducted.
The state’s Food Safety and Drug Administration has cited public health as the reason for the prohibition. Further operational details, including the precise start date, inspection process and action against violations, were not provided in the report. The ban will remain in effect for one year from the date of the order.
