The food safety regulator has proposed nationwide restrictions on analogue products being manufactured or marketed as paneer. The move comes amid intensified checks against dairy adulteration.
Highlights
- FSSAI has notified draft amendments seeking to prohibit analogue paneer at the pan-India level.
- Analogue paneer uses non-milk ingredients to replace some or all milk components while mimicking paneer.
- The proposed rules aim to prevent consumers from being misled about a product’s nature and composition.
- Existing analogue dairy products would have to stop using the term “paneer” in their labelling, nomenclature and marketing.
New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed nationwide restrictions on the manufacture and sale of analogue products as paneer, stepping up its action against potentially misleading dairy products.
The food safety regulator has notified draft amendments for stakeholder consultation as several states have already taken action against the manufacture and sale of analogue paneer.
Analogue paneer refers to a product in which ingredients not derived from milk replace some or all of the milk components. The resulting product may mimic the sensory and functional properties of traditional paneer.
FSSAI has proposed amendments to the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations to restrict the manufacture and sale of analogue products as paneer. The regulator said the objective is to prevent consumers from being misled about the nature and composition of the product.
Under the proposed framework, products already licensed or registered under the “analogue in dairy context” category would need to discontinue the use of the term “paneer” in their nomenclature, labelling or marketing.
The proposed regulations may be called the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Amendment Regulations, 2026.
FSSAI said the proposal is intended to safeguard consumer interests and prevent the practice of marketing analogue products as paneer.
Several states have already banned the manufacture, storage, sale and distribution of analogue paneer for nearly a year. These include Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
The development also comes ahead of the festive season, when demand for dairy products generally rises. FSSAI has directed states to strengthen surveillance and inspections to prevent adulteration, particularly in dairy and dairy-related products.
