Govt. bans 12 pan masala brands in Bihar for a period of one year

Speed Post News Network

Patna :Bihar Government on August 30, 2019, banned 12 pan masala brands in the state for a period of one year for containing magnesium carbonate which causes health problems. The decision was taken by the government due to presence of magnesium carbonate in all the 20 samples of pan masala collected from nine districts by food safety officers.
Food Safety Commissioner Sanjay Kumar,under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, has banned the manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution, display and sale of pan masala of 12 different brands for a period of one year from August 30, 2019, according to a Government release.
The samples of these brands collected by food safety officers were sent for examination at ‘Combined Food and drugs Laboratory’ at Agamkuan, Patna ,where it was found that all the 20 samples contain magnesium carbonate. On the basis of scientific studies, it has been found that the use of magnesium carbonate for a long period of time could cause serious diseases such as cardiac arrest and acute hyper magnesia, said the release. Bihar Government had earlier banned manufacture, sale, distribution and storage of gutka and all its varients.