Bihar govt bans pan masala containing magnesium carbonate

Bihar government on Friday banned Pan Masala containing magnesium carbonate in the state, said commissioner of food safety.

20 samples of different Pan Masala brands were collected and it was found that all of them consisted of magnesium carbonate.

Commissioner of Food Safety Sanjay Kumar told ANI, "Restrictions were already there on Pan Masala in the state. On receiving the information, we conducted an investigation and found most the pan masala products in the market contains magnesium carbonate. This is a chemical which is prohibited in food products under the Food Safety Standards Authority."

"Manufacture, storage, distribution, transportation or sale of Pan Masala containing magnesium carbonate is completely banned in the state," he added.

According to scientific research, the consumption of Pan Masala for years together leads to Acute hyper magnesia and sometimes leads to cardiac arrest, read an official statement.