Food safety officials flag adulteration risks in khoya, paneer ahead of Diwali

Food safety officials are scrutinising supplies of khoya sourced from Alwar in Rajasthan and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, along with paneer manufactured in Haryana’s Nuh district, ahead of Diwali amid concerns over adulteration in milk-based products

Food safety officials are scrutinising supplies of khoya sourced from Alwar in Rajasthan and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, along with paneer manufactured in Haryana’s Nuh district, ahead of Diwali amid concerns over adulteration in milk-based products.

Haryana imposed a one-year prohibition on analogue or non-dairy paneer in August, restricting its manufacture, storage, distribution and sale in the state. (Representative photo)

Officials said khoya from Alwar and Saharanpur is supplied to markets in and around Gurugram. The product, widely used in preparing sweets, can be adulterated with cheaper fats, starch and other non-dairy ingredients.

In September, authorities seized and destroyed around 7,600kg of suspected adulterated paneer during inspections of manufacturing units in the Punhana area of Nuh. Refined palm oil, soybean, fabric whitener, industrial-grade bleaching agents and white poster colour were found on the premises. Samples were collected for laboratory testing.

Dr Deepak, food safety officer, Gurugram-2, said synthetic paneer could be manufactured using vegetable fats, soybean ingredients and milk powder instead of conventional dairy ingredients.

“Such products may be sold as ordinary paneer, misleading consumers about what they are eating,” he said.

Officials said adulteration was also a concern in other food products, including ghee, where cheaper vegetable fats or vanaspati could be used to replace milk fat.

Deepak also flagged adulteration of edible silver leaf, or varq, used to decorate sweets, and the use of unauthorised colours in food products. He said food colours were permitted only in specified categories and within prescribed limits.

Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, selling substandard food can attract a penalty of up to ₹5 lakh, while misbranding can attract a fine of up to ₹3 lakh. Selling unsafe food can lead to imprisonment of up to three months and a fine of up to ₹3 lakh even if consumption does not result in injury. More severe penalties apply in cases involving injury or death.