India's Food Regulator Moves to Ban Misleading Analogue Paneer Products

FSSAI's New Draft Amendments

New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has announced plans to ban the production and sale of analogue paneer nationwide, releasing draft amendments for public consultation.

The proposed changes aim to restrict the manufacturing and marketing of analogue products labeled as paneer, thereby preventing consumer deception regarding the product's nature and composition.

Existing products that fall under the 'Analogue in Dairy Context' category will be required to stop using the term 'Paneer' in their branding and labeling.

Several state governments have already imposed bans on the production and sale of analogue paneer.

FSSAI is set to introduce these draft amendments to the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) regulations.

These regulations will be considered after a sixty-day period following the publication of the notification in the Official Gazette.

The food authority has taken action against various food businesses due to safety violations, leading to license suspensions and prohibition orders related to non-compliant ghee products and adulteration issues.

Recently, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration placed a one-year ban on the production and sale of artificial analogue paneer due to public health concerns, following laboratory tests that revealed over 35% of paneer samples failed quality checks due to vegetable fat adulteration.

Similarly, the Gujarat government has enacted a statewide ban on the manufacture, storage, and sale of non-standard analogue paneer, cheese, and butter, citing consumer protection and food safety issues.

Products made from vegetable oils and other non-dairy components have been misleadingly marketed as paneer, endangering genuine dairy producers and raising significant food safety alarms.