In a breather to the Paan Masala manufacturers, the country’s top food regulator, Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI)  has extended the deadline for the third time in a row to them to comply with the provision of bigger health warnings on pan masala packets.

The manufactures  are now provided a timeline up till May 1, 2024, instead of November 1, 2023, to comply with the requirement of the warning statement that ‘Chewing of pan masala is injurious to health’ must cover half i.e. 50% of the front-of-the pack of the label.

Contrary to the last two extensions since May 1, 2023 when three months were given, this time the industry players have been allowed to prepare themselves within six months to implement the warning statement.

The move comes in the wake of representations received from various associations, federations, and industry stakeholders, who have sought additional time to comply with the specified amendment as per Schedule II of the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Second Amendment Regulations, 2022, said the Apex food regulator.

The amendment followed after it was noted that while it is mandatory to publish warnings occupying 85% of a cigarette packet, pan masala wrappings had no such warnings. There have been several reports and observations by the courts like in Gujarat and Assam that the products have cancer-causing substance.

 The first deferral for the warning label was for three months from the enforcement date of May 1, 2023. Following this, a subsequent direction was issued in August when the FSSAI extended the deferment for an additional three months till November this year, citing that the industry needed more time to prepare for compliance.

“Considering the industry’s requests and after thorough deliberation, the FSSAI has now decided to grant a further extension to the compliance period. The enforcement of the ‘note’ about Pan Masala will be deferred for an additional six months, starting from 1st November 2023,” said a statement from the food regulatory body.

This extension aims to provide businesses with the necessary time to adjust and implement the required changes, allowing them to effectively utilize or exhaust existing packaging material inventory.

“Representation has been received from the association requesting an extension of the period for compliance of the ‘note’ amendment to exhaust the packaging material having the existing warning and to arrange for the new packaging material,” said an official from the apex food regulator.

Boosted by surrogate tobacco advertisements by celebrities and easy availability, the Indian pan masala market has grown by leaps and bounds. According to a report by research firm Expert Market Research, the market reached a value of Rs 57,428 crores in 2020 and is further expected to touch nearly Rs 107,918 crores by 2026.