Maharashtra has enforced a one-year ban on the production, storage, and distribution of analogue or non-dairy paneer across the state. Maharashtra Food Safety Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has issued the ban, and anyone caught manufacturing or selling it will face up to six months of jail time and a fine of ₹1 lakh, according to a Times of India report.
The ban, covering manufacturing, processing, packing, storage, transportation, wholesale and retail sale and distribution has been imposed under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. Any case where consumption of unsafe food leads to death can lead to life imprisonment and a minimum fine of ₹10 lakh.
Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of Maharashtra has warned that selling analogue paneer as genuine paneer would constitute an unfair trade practice under the food safety law. Strict action will again be taken against individuals or establishments undertaking this practice.
Abhay Pandey, the president of the All India Food and Drug Licence Holder Foundation, told NDTV, “There were many discussions and questions raised regarding cheese analogue in Maharashtra, and today, the order to ban cheese analogue in Maharashtra has finally been issued.”
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
(FSSAI) defines analogue paneer as a product made of ingredients that are not milk, “Analogue means a product in which constituents not derived from milk take the place, in part or in whole, of any milk constituent(s) and the final product resembles, organoleptically and/or functionally, milk or milk product or composite milk product as defined in these regulations," the authority stated.
Analogue paneer has reportedly been made with ingredients such as vegetable oils, starch, and milk solids, all of which are less healthy than regular paneer.
