New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has amended the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018, prescribing plastic-free packaging materials for pan masala, according to a notification published in the Gazette of India.
The Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Amendment Regulations, 2026 amend Schedule 4 of the 2018 regulations relating to the list of materials suggested for packaging. The amendment substitutes the existing entry relating to pan masala and the corresponding provisions.
Under the revised provision, pan masala packaging may use paper, paper board, cellulose or other naturally derived materials, but such material must be free from any type of plastic, including polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), any synthetic polymer, co-polymer or laminate.
The amended provision further states that the packaging material should not contain aluminium foil or metallised layers.
The notification also permits tin or glass containers for pan masala.
It further specifies that the relevant provisions of sub-rules (c) and (d) of Rule 4(1) of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, framed under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, will also apply.
According to the Gazette notification, the amended regulations are titled the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Amendment Regulations, 2026 and will come into force from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
The final notification follows a draft of the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Amendment Regulations, 2026 that had been published through an FSSAI notification dated April 28, 2026. Objections and suggestions were invited from persons likely to be affected before the expiry of a 60-day period from the date on which copies of the Gazette containing the notification were made available to the public.
The Gazette states that copies were made available to the public on April 28, 2026, and that FSSAI considered the objections and suggestions received from the public on the draft regulations before finalising the amendment.
The notification was issued under powers exercised under Section 92(2)(e) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with the previous approval of the Central Government. It was signed by FSSAI Chief Executive Officer Rajit Punhani.
The Gazette carrying the final regulations is dated August 10, 2026, while the FSSAI notification itself is dated August 7, 2026.
