The Himachal Pradesh government has prohibited the manufacture, sale, purchase, storage, transportation and supply of non-dairy or analogue paneer that does not comply with food safety standards.
The decision comes amid reports of the widespread sale of analogue paneer in markets across the state. Unlike traditional paneer, which is made from milk, some analogue products are prepared using vegetable oils or vegetable fats, along with emulsifiers and other ingredients to imitate the appearance and texture of paneer.
According to the notification issued by the Commissioner of Food Safety, paneer is a standardised dairy product and products that do not meet the prescribed standards cannot be represented or sold as paneer.
The notification further states that products in which milk fat, milk solids or other milk constituents are wholly or partly replaced with vegetable oil or vegetable fat cannot be represented, described, advertised, displayed, supplied or sold as “Paneer.”
The government has directed that no food business operator shall manufacture, process, prepare, pack, store, stock, transport, distribute, supply or expose such non-compliant analogue or non-dairy paneer for sale within Himachal Pradesh.
The move aims to strengthen enforcement of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and protect consumers, particularly as paneer is widely consumed as a vegetarian source of protein.
The action highlights the importance of proper product identity, labelling and compliance with food safety standards in the dairy and food sector.
