Industry Odisha Bureau, Sept 25: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed changes to prevent non-dairy analogue products from being sold or marketed as “paneer” in India.
The food regulator recently issued a draft notification seeking public comments within 60 days. Under the proposed amendment, products made with ingredients not derived from milk would not be allowed to use the term “paneer” in their nomenclature, labelling or marketing.
Analogue products are made by replacing milk constituents such as milk fat and milk protein. These include ingredients including vegetable oils, fats and vegetable proteins. FSSAI said the proposed change aims to prevent consumers from being misled about the nature and composition of such products.
The draft also states that products already licensed or registered under the “Analogue in Dairy Content” category would have to discontinue the use of “paneer” in their product names, labels and marketing material.
At least eight states have introduced similar restrictions at the state level. These include Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
The issue gained wider attention last year following social media claims about “fake paneer” being served at a Mumbai restaurant. FSSAI subsequently held discussions with stakeholders on how non-dairy products should be identified.
The regulator considered whether products made using vegetable oil based substitutes should clearly carry terms such as “non-dairy” or “analogue,” followed by a list of their ingredients.
Under the existing FSSAI standards, paneer is required to be made from milk or milk solids. Permitted additions include certain acidulants, salt, and spices or condiments. Vegetable oils, fats and vegetable proteins are not permitted as substitutes in paneer.
