3 min readUpdated: Aug 5, 2026 04:49 PM IST
‘Analog’ or synthetic paneer has been banned in Maharashtra for a year. The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday prohibited the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of non-dairy paneer across the state. It doesn’t just go off the shelves but also from menus, as the food safety regulator has directed hotels, restaurants, caterers and cloud kitchens to stop using the non-dairy paneer. The ban on non-dairy paneer was enforced after some samples, tested by the FDA for over a year, failed crucial safety tests.
The order, issued by Food Safety Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe under Section 30(2)(a) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and published in the state gazette on July 30, takes effect immediately and will remain in force for one year.
What non-dairy paneer is banned?
According to the sampling data from April 2025 to March 2026, a total of 308 paneer and dairy-analogue samples were tested at notified food laboratories. Of these, 109 samples – 35.4 percent of the samples – failed to conform to prescribed standards, 79 were sub-standard, and 30 were declared unsafe.
Laboratory analysis of the extracted fat showed butyro-refractometer readings and iodine values outside the range prescribed for milk fat in a significant share of the failed samples, indicating that vegetable fat had been added or had replaced milk fat.
The order singles out food service establishments, noting that many hotels, restaurants, caterers and cloud kitchens have been using non-dairy paneer in dishes without disclosing this on menus, bills or display boards, leaving their customers to assume they are being served real paneer. The FDA says this is an unfair trade practice.
Labelling rules tightened
The order reiterates the compositional standards for genuine paneer and chhana under Regulation 2.1.16 of the FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, as amended in 2019, which classify the product into three categories by milk-fat content: Regular/full-fat paneer (minimum 50% milk fat) may be sold loose or pre-packed; Medium-fat paneer (20-50% milk fat) must be sold only in sealed packages with prescribed labelling; and Low-fat paneer (up to 20% milk fat) must also be sold only in sealed packages with prescribed labelling.
All paneer and chhana packaging must carry the declarations required under the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, failing which, the product will be treated as misbranded under Section 52 of the Act. Those violating the orders may attract penal action under Sections 50, 51, 52, 55 and 59 of the FSS Act.
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What is synthetic paneer?
Paneer analogues are look-alike products that resemble paneer in appearance and texture, but are not made entirely from milk. According to Dr Surendra Nath Battula, retired principal scientist, National Dairy Research Institute, Bangalore, “Analogue paneer is made by blending vegetable oils (palm oil), vegetable fats (palm stearin), starches, and milk solids (SMP), plant proteins (soy, pea) along with stabilisers, emulsifiers and artificial flavours, and curdling the blend using the common acidulants.”
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