Maharashtra Bans Analogue Paneer For One Year Over Safety, Misbranding Concerns
News india Maharashtra Bans Analogue Paneer For One Year Over Safety, Misbranding Concerns Maharashtra Bans Analogue Paneer For One Year Over Safety, Misbranding Concerns Reported
News india Maharashtra Bans Analogue Paneer For One Year Over Safety, Misbranding Concerns Maharashtra Bans Analogue Paneer For One Year Over Safety, Misbranding Concerns Reported By, Last Updated: August 05, 2026, 18:56 IST The decision follows a year-long surveillance exercise that found widespread violations in paneer sold across the state Due to widespread deceptive labelling in commercial kitchens, states like Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra have banned the manufacture, storage, and sale of analogue paneer altogether. Representational image The Maharashtra government has imposed a one-year ban on the manufacture, storage, transport, distribution, and sale of analogue or non-dairy paneer across the state, saying the move is necessary to protect public health and prevent consumers from being misled. The order, issued by Food Safety Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, will apply across Maharashtra with immediate effect. The decision follows a year-long surveillance exercise that found widespread violations in paneer sold across the state. Between April 2025 and March 2026, food safety authorities analysed 308 samples of paneer and dairy analogue products. Of these, 109 samples, or 35.4 per cent, failed to meet prescribed standards.
The reports found 79 samples to be substandard and 30 unsafe. Laboratory analysis also detected the use of vegetable or other non-milk fats in place of milk fat, making such products unsafe and misbranded under the law. The order notes that genuine paneer is a standardised food under food safety regulations and must be made from milk. Any product in which milk fat or milk solids are replaced with vegetable fat or other non-milk ingredients cannot legally be sold as paneer. Such products are required to carry clear declarations like “Contains Vegetable Fat" and “Contains No Milk Fat", but authorities found that these requirements were frequently ignored. The Commissioner has also raised concerns about the widespread use of analogue paneer by hotels, restaurants, caterers and other food service establishments without informing customers. According to the order, these products are often served in place of genuine paneer without any disclosure on menus, invoices or display boards, depriving consumers of an informed choice. Officials also found loose analogue paneer being transported and sold without proper labels, invoices or batch identification, making it difficult to trace its origin in case of food safety violations.
The BriefWire