Govt’s stand on arecanut miffs MPs; take plaint to minister

Mangaluru: It is apparent that the ministry for health and family welfare is stuck on facts on the issue of arecanut that was raised in Parliament.
The ministry has consistently been maintaining there are concerns about arecanut that is grown predominantly in this part of the world, being carcinogenic and has raised hackles of MPs from arecanut growing areas who have raised the issue with Union minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, urging him to reconsider the facts.
This perceived bias of the ministry again came to the fore in the Lok Sabha when the Union government informed the house recently that arecanut consumption has an adverse effect on health, reiterating that there are concerns regarding it being carcinogenic. Ashwini Kumar Choubey, union minister of state for health and family welfare, stated this in reply to an un-starred question that Devusingh Jesingbhai Chauhan, MP from Kheda, posed.
There are certain studies suggesting that arecanut has adverse health effects on various organs of the body, the deputy health minister stated in the reply. There are also concerns regarding it being carcinogenic to the oral cavity, pharynx, oesophagus etc. The standards of arecanut aka betel nut or supari and pan masala are prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011.
Gutka, sweet and scented flavoured arecanut products and chewing tobacco are not separately mentioned in these regulations. Use of tobacco and nicotine as ingredients in any food product is prohibited under above regulation and their use as ingredients in food products, including products of arecanut, is already prohibited under it. The regulations warrant all package of supari and advertisement relating to it to carry statutory warning.
FSSAI has no info
FSSAI has no information about bans imposed by states and union territories on marketing and consumption of flavoured arecanut products that do not contain tobacco, or in respect of chewing tobacco, Choubey said. Incidentally, Anupriya Patel, then minister on December 22, 2017, replying to an un-starred question by Om Prakash Yadav, MP, Bihar, had told the LS that consumption of supari caused periodontitis and buccal mucositis.
She had mentioned that its consumption leads to sub mucous fibrosis and leucoplakia, leading to oral squamous cell cancer and its regular use stains the mucosa, gums, and teeth. To prevent use of supari, all states and union territories have issued orders for implementation above regulations that bans manufacture, sale, and storage of gutka containing arecanut. The MPs post this reply met Harsh Vardhan asking him to rectify facts.
The delegation led by DK MP Nalin Kumar Kateel informed Vardhan that CPCRI, Kasargod, stated there is no proof of arecanut affecting health. The delegation that MPs from other arecanut growing areas came back with an assurance from Vardhan that the Union government will withdraw the affidavit submitted by it to the Supreme Court. MPs Shobha Karandlaje, G M Siddeshwar, and Narayana Swamy were part of the delegation.