FSSAI Bans Newspaper for Food Packaging: Check Chemicals, Health Risks and Safety Rules

Have you ever eaten a samosa, Jalebi, pakoda and vada pav served in a newspaper? Although this practice is common across India, it may expose consumers to harmful chemicals present in newspaper ink. The use of newspapers for wrapping, serving or storing food. According to food safety experts the chemicals used and found in newspapers such as lead, cadmium, mineral oils and industrial pigments can migrate from printed newspapers into food, especially when the food is hot or oily. 

Latest FSSAI on Newspaper-Wrapped Food

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a strict advisory to consumers, street vendors and food operators to completely stop using newspapers for packing, serving or storing food items. The FSSAI highlighted printing inks used in newspapers contain chemicals that easily contaminate food. FSSAI has also directed State Food Safety Commissioners to conduct regular surveillance drives and strictly enforce this ban across local markets, sweet shops and street-food stalls.

Why is newspaper packaged food considered unsafe? 

Newspapers are manufactured for reading purposes meaning their production does not follow food-grade hygiene standards. Newspapers are made from recycled paper pulp which often contains remnants of older chemicals, dyes and structural adhesives. 

A newspaper passes through multiple hands, delivery vehicles and printing floors, accumulating environmental dust, pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and viruses before reaching a food vendor. 

The ink used on newsprint does not securely bind to the paper fibers. It is designed to dry rapidly on the surface which makes it highly susceptible to rubbing or peeling off when it comes into contact with external substances like food.

Which chemicals are found? 

When food is wrapped in printed paper it interacts with a toxic blend of industrial chemical compounds such as 

How do toxic chemicals transfer from Newspaper to Food?

The transfer of chemicals happens due to the ink sitting loosely on the porous paper fibers. Any direct contact with another moist or oily substance triggers a chemical release which is also known as the leaching.  

When food is placed on a newspaper the moisture, steam and organic compounds present in the food break down weak physical bonds of the surface ink causing chemicals to dissolve and bleed directly into the food matrix.

What are Mineral Oils and How do they contaminate Food ?

In the printing industry, they are used as cheap solvents to carry ink pigments. Mineral oils are complex mixtures of hydrocarbons derived from petroleum distillation. They are categorised into:

MOSH (Mineral Oil Saturated Hydrocarbons) which are known to accumulate in human organs particularly in the liver, spleen and lymph nodes cause tissue micro-granomas.

MOAH (Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons) are highly volatile compounds that act as genotoxic carcinogens meaning they can mutate human DNA and trigger cancer development.

Mineral oils are lipophilic (fat-loving) which can easily detach from newspaper fibers and migrate straight into the fatty components of any food items placed on them.

How can hot and oily foods absorb more harmful chemicals?

The hot and oily foods absorb more harmful chemicals and the rate of chemical absorption increases drastically due to high temperatures acting as a major thermal catalyst which accelerates the liquefaction and vaporization of the printing ink. 

At the same time, the fats and lipids present in fried street foods act as aggressive organic solvents when the hot, freshly fried items like pakodas or pooris are placed on a newspaper the oil strips heavy metals and mineral oils right off the paper surface by locking them into the food item before consumption.

Health Risks associated with newspaper-wrapped foods

The health risks associated with the newspapers-wrapped food lie with the concept of bioaccumulation when the human body lacks an efficient mechanism to immediately flush out heavy metals like lead and cadmium or synthetic mineral oils. 

These toxins slowly accumulate in organs of humans and animals, soft tissues and bones over several years. Although initially it feels like a harmless but everyday habit eventually escalates into chronic chemical toxicity that damages cellular structures and disrupts normal bodily functions.

Regularly consuming food contaminated with newspaper ink poses severe short-term and long-term medical risks:

Foods are commonly served in Newspapers

In India several popular street foods, sweets and snacks are still regularly wrapped or served in newspapers across the country despite continuous warnings includes: 

• Fried Snacks: Samosas, pakodas, kachoris and bhajias.

• Breakfast Items: Poori-sabzi, paranthas and idlis.

• Regional Favorites: Vada pav, pav bhaji, poha and jalebi.

• Dry Snacks: Bhel puri, roasted peanuts and chana jor garam.

FSSAI New Rules on Newspaper Food Packaging

The new statutory regulations laid down by the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations. The use of newspapers or similar unapproved materials for wrapping, packing or storing food items is strictly prohibited. It also includes using newspapers to soak up excess oil from fried foods at commercial establishments is an offense.

Food business operators are legally required to use only food-grade packaging materials that comply with the rigid standards specified by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). If the food operators failed to comply with regulations it can result in heavy monetary fines, seizure of food stock or cancellation of business licenses.

Alternatives Safety for Food Packaging

FSSAI recommends switching to safe, non-toxic packaging materials to protect public health without disrupting business convenience

• Food-Grade Greaseproof/Butter Paper specifically engineered to handle hot and oily foods without leaching chemical residues.

• Natural leaf plates like traditional options such as  banana leaves, sal leaves or pattavals are 100% natural, biodegradable, and completely safe.

• Certified Aluminum foil is excellent for keeping food warm and hygienic which should be provided it is food-grade and not used for highly acidic or citrus-heavy dishes.

• Unprinted virgin paperboards which are clean boxes made from raw wood pulp free from industrial recycled chemical treatments or colored dyes.

PYQ’s Asked in the UPSC, State PCS, SSC, Banking and Railway Exams

Q1.  Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2018)

1. The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 replaced the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954.

2. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is under the charge of Director General of Health Services in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only

2. 2 only

3. Both 1 and 2

4. Neither 1 nor 2

Correct Answer: (a)  1 only

Explanation: Statement 1 is correct as the FSS Act, 2006 consolidated and replaced multiple older laws including the 1954 Act. 

Statement 2 is incorrect because FSSAI is an autonomous statutory body with its own independent Chairperson and CEO, operating directly under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Q 2.  With reference to pre-packaged items in India, is it mandatory for the manufacturer to put which of the following information on the main label, as per the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations? (UPSC CSE 2016)

1. List of ingredients including additives.

2. Nutrition information.

3. Recommendations, if any, made by the medical profession about the possibility of any allergic reaction.

4. Vegetarian/non-vegetarian declaration.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only

(b)  2, 3 and 4 only

(c)1, 2 and 4 only

(d) 1, 3 and 4 only

Correct Answer: (c) 1, 2 and 4 only

Explanation: While basic ingredients, nutritional value, and vegetarian/non-vegetarian logos are mandatory, medical recommendations regarding specific allergic reactions are not structurally codified as a legal requirement on general standard retail packaging under these rules.

Q 3. Is street food wrapped in printed newspapers highly hazardous to human health due to the leaching of toxic heavy metal predominantly found in printing ink? (state PCS 2021)

1. Mercury (Hg)

2. Lead (Pb)

3. Arsenic (As)

4. Copper (Cu)

Correct Answer: (B) Lead (Pb)

Explanation: Lead has traditionally been utilized as an industrial stabilizing agent and pigment dryer in commercial printing inks. It readily separates from porous newspaper surfaces when exposed to hot, greasy foods.

Q 4: Under which Union Ministry does the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) function as an autonomous regulatory body? ( SSC CGL, 2023)

1. Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

2. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

3. Ministry of Food Processing Industries

4. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Correct Answer: (D) Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Explanation: FSSAI acts as the primary safety gatekeeper under the explicit governance of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

Q.5 What term is used to describe the continuous, slow buildup of toxic heavy metals (like lead or cadmium) within the tissues of a biological organism over time through food consumption? (RRB NTPC/JE 2019)

1. Biomagnification
2. Eutrophication
3. Bioaccumulation
4. Bioremediation

Correct Answer: (c) Bioaccumulation

Explanation: Bioaccumulation describes the gradual buildup of a non-biodegradable substance inside a single organism over its lifespan. In contrast, biomagnification refers to the progressive increase in chemical concentration as it moves higher up successive steps of a food chain.

Q 6. The terms 'MOSH' and 'MOAH', which frequently appear in national advisories concerning unsafe food packaging, are toxic chemical derivatives of which of the following? (IBPS SO, 2024)

1. Synthetic Fertilizers

2. Petroleum Mineral Oils

3. Genetically Modified Seeds

4. Organic Food Preservatives

Answer: (B) Petroleum Mineral Oils

Explanation: MOSH (Mineral Oil Saturated Hydrocarbons) and MOAH (Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons) are complex fractions obtained from petroleum refining. 

They serve as solvents in high-speed newsprint inks and present dangerous, proven carcinogenic risks when transferred to dietary items.

Which chemical is used in newspapers? 

Newspaper ink commonly contains lead, cadmium, graphite, phthalates, and petroleum-derived mineral oils like MOSH and MOAH.

Can newspaper ink cause long-term health problems?

Yes. Long-term exposure can cause chronic kidney damage, liver complications, neurological disorders, hormonal imbalances, and increased cancer risks.