Calls for a ban on gutkha in India increase

By Ankush Chibber, 16-Feb-2012

Calls for a ban on gutkha in India have intensified after a recent spree of inspections by a food safety watchdog found traces of toxins in samples.

Calls to ban gutkha in India increase amid contamination finds

The inspections were carried out by the Madhya Pradesh Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which found traces of harmful magnesium carbonate and tobacco in tested samples.

Gutkha is a product composed of areca nut, catchu, paraffin, lime, and sweet flavorings, and it is sold as a mild stimulant in India in small sachets that cost between 2 (4 US cents) and 10 rupees per packet.

According to the FDA, it collected a total of 122 samples of gutkha from across the state during April to December 2011, a haul which included some of the leading gutkha brands.

Though the FDA did not publish the names of the brands immediately, it said that it will in its final food safety report.

An FDA spokesman told FoodNavigator-Asia that non-compliant companies would not see their licenses renewed.

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