Goa, Aug. 11 -- The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has introduced new packaging requirements for pan masala, ruling out the use of plastic, aluminium foil and metallised layers for packaging the product.

The changes were notified through the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Amendment Regulations, 2026, published in the Gazette of India on Monday, August 10. The amendment modifies the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018 and adds pan masala as a new entry under Schedule 4, which contains a list of suggested packaging materials.

Under the new rules, pan masala can be packaged using paper, paperboard, cellulose or other naturally derived materials. However, these materials must be completely fr...