In a move aimed at preventing consumers from being misled about what they are buying, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed nationwide restrictions on the manufacture and sale of analogue products being marketed as 'paneer'.
Under the proposed regulations, products currently licensed or registered under the 'analogue in dairy context' category would have to stop using the word 'paneer' in their product names, labels and marketing material.
The proposal concerns not only the ingredients used in these products but also how they are represented to consumers. FSSAI said the amendment is intended to ensure that a food product's name and presentation accurately reflect its nature and composition.
The move comes amid growing action by state authorities against analogue dairy products, particularly products made using vegetable fats and other non-dairy ingredients but sold or presented as paneer.
FSSAI's proposal is still at the consultation stage and is not yet a final ban. The regulator has invited objections and suggestions from stakeholders and members of the public. The draft will be considered after 60 days from the date copies of the relevant Official Gazette notification are made available to the public.
If the amendment takes effect in its proposed form, manufacturers of products currently registered as dairy analogues will not be able to use 'paneer' in their nomenclature, labelling, or promotional claims.
The regulatory distinction is significant because traditional paneer is a milk-derived product, whereas analogue products may use non-dairy ingredients to replicate its appearance, texture, or functionality.
The proposed change aims to make that distinction clear at the point of purchase, allowing consumers to know whether they are buying a conventional milk-based product or an alternative.
FSSAI has been stepping up enforcement against food businesses over violations and non-compliance, including action involving products sold as ghee and other dairy items. The latest proposal extends that regulatory focus to the way analogue products are identified and marketed.
The proposed national framework follows a series of state-level measures against analogue paneer. Maharashtra imposed a one-year ban on the production, distribution, and sale of artificial analogue paneer after food safety authorities found that a significant number of samples failed to meet prescribed standards.
According to the Maharashtra FDA's sampling data, 308 paneer and dairy-analogue samples were tested between April 2025 and March 2026, of which 109 (35.4%) failed to conform to standards. The failed samples included 79 classified as sub-standard and 30 as unsafe.
Laboratory analysis in Maharashtra also found fat characteristics inconsistent with prescribed milk-fat parameters in a significant number of samples, indicating the presence or substitution of vegetable fat.
Gujarat followed with a statewide ban on the manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of non-standard analogue paneer, cheese and butter. The state government said the decision followed inspections and laboratory testing that identified products resembling dairy products but made using vegetable oil and other non-dairy ingredients.
Other states have also taken measures against analogue paneer, reflecting a broader regulatory concern about products sold in ways that could lead consumers to believe they are buying conventional dairy products.
FSSAI's draft notification is issued with the previous approval of the Union government under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The underlying Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales Regulations were first notified in 2011 and have been amended periodically.
Stakeholders and members of the public can submit objections and suggestions to the chief executive officer (CEO), FSSAI, at FDA Bhawan, Kotla Road, New Delhi, or through the email channel specified in the notification.
FSSAI listed the draft amendment on its notifications portal on 24 September 2026, describing it as a proposal to restrict paneer made from constituents not derived from milk.
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