Anti–tobacco crusader Dr Kalyan Gangwal and Mirror ferret out shocking information on gutkha by making use of the RTI Act

Gutkha is a food product! Yes. This is a revelation for many of us who detested gutkha and were scared of its ill–effects. This scary piece of information was brought out from the files of authorities overseeing food and drug safety by Dr. Kalyan Gangwal.

Those who are against the use of tobacco in the city would be knowing Dr. Kalyan Gangwal. This anti–tobacco crusader is also a champion of vegetarianism.

Dr Gangwal, who is associated with the Sarvajeev Mangal Pratishthan, has been targeting the sale and use of gutkha for a while. Last year, his organisation had filed an RTI to the Food and Drug Administration, Pune, seeking information about the contents in the popular tobacco product, which is sold freely despite its ban in the state.

As Dr Gangwal’s organisation didn’t get a response from the FDA, Pune Mirror filed an RTI application with the FDA seeking to know the status of the information asked on October 14 last year.

The FDA, within the next fifteen days replied to us, stating that, “Gutkha is one such food product whose standards of quality have not been inducted in our law. Such products come under the purview of ‘Proprietory’ food. It is obligatory for these product manufacturers to print the contents/ingredients of the product on the label. The gutkha that is sold in the market presently does contain the list of the ingredients in it. There are certain manufacturers who do not mention the additive magnesium carbonate on the label, that is why there are cases filed against such manufacturers.”

Further, the FDA claimed that since August 1, 2001, gutkha production has been completely banned in Pune district as well as in other districts of Maharashtra. Hence, gutkha which is kept for sale in the market is manufactured outside the state.


Source: Times of India