Maharashtra bans non-dairy paneer citing health risks, announces jail term for flouting order

Maharashtra bans artificial paneer to protect public health, becoming the second state after Chhattisgarh with a strict prohibition on manufacturing and sale.

Citing public health risks, the Maharashtra government has announced a total ban on artificial or analogue paneer – a non-dairy product made from vegetable oils, starches, emulsifiers and additives – making it the second state in the country to do so after Chhattisgarh.

Analogue paneer is generally made using ingredients such as edible oils, starch and milk solids, unlike conventional paneer which is prepared directly from milk. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)

An order issued by food safety commissioner Tukaram Mundhe on July 30 states: “The manufacturing, processing, preparation, packing, storage, distribution (including transportation), wholesale sale, retail sale, offering or exposing for sale of analogue or non-dairy paneer is hereby prohibited throughout Maharashtra for a period of one year.”

The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) warned that serving analogue paneer as real paneer would amount to misleading consumers and constitute an unfair trade practice under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, inviting strict penal action. Depending on the extent of the harm caused, the punishment would range from imprisonment of up to six months and a fine of up to ₹1 lakh to life imprisonment, and a minimum fine of ₹10 lakh in cases where consumption of the unsafe food results in death.

The issue on the use of the non-dairy product was first discussed in the Maharashtra legislature last year where legislators demanded a complete ban.

Infographic about analogue paneer

FDA’s drive

The ban follows findings from the FDA’s year-long enforcement and surveillance drive. The regulatory body said despite regular inspections, sampling and awareness campaigns, there had been no appreciable improvement in curbing the sale of analogue paneer. “The proportion of non-conforming samples remained persistently high at 35.4 per cent of the samples analysed, demonstrating that routine enforcement and the existing labelling framework have proved insufficient to arrest the practice and protect public health,” the order stated.

Between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026, the FDA collected paneer and analogue paneer samples from across the state and sent them to notified laboratories for testing. Of the 308 samples analysed so far, 109 (35.4 per cent) failed to meet prescribed standards. This included 79 sub-standard samples and 30 samples classified as unsafe.

“Laboratory analysis also found that a significant number of samples had Butyro-refractometer (BR) readings and iodine values outside the prescribed limits for milk fat, indicating the addition or substitution of vegetable fat not naturally present in milk,” the four-page FDA order revealed.

Restaurants flouting norm

Inspections also revealed that hotels, restaurants, caterers and other food establishments were routinely using analogue paneer instead of genuine paneer without informing customers through menus, invoices or display boards. It was also revealed that analogue paneer was frequently transported and sold without original packaging, mandatory labels, invoices, batch identification or traceability documents, making it difficult to identify its source and increasing risks to public health.

BJP MLA Vikram Pachpute, the first legislator to demand a ban on analogue paneer, described the government’s move it as a landmark step. “It is a pioneering step in safeguarding consumer health. I believe other states will also follow suit,” said Pachpute, who represents Shrigonda assembly constituency in Ahilyanagar district.

Pachpute also urged the government to extend its scrutiny to analogue cheese. “Many multinational companies are using analogue cheese, marketing or selling it as real cheese. This practice needs strict scrutiny, and appropriate action should be taken wherever consumers are being misled,” he said.