FDA finds 35.4 per cent of samples failed to meet prescribed standards during year-long surveillance
The Maharashtra government has imposed a one-year ban on the manufacture, sale and distribution of analogue paneer after a state food safety surveillance exercise found significant non-compliance and instances of the product being sold as conventional dairy paneer without disclosure.
The prohibition, issued through a gazette notification by Maharashtra Food Safety Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, covers the manufacture, processing, preparation, packing, storage, distribution, wholesale and retail sale of analogue paneer across the state.
Analogue paneer is a non-dairy substitute made using vegetable oils, starches, emulsifiers and other additives instead of milk fat. It is generally cheaper to produce than dairy paneer and typically has lower protein content.
Maharashtra is the second state after Chhattisgarh to prohibit the product.
The state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said inspections of hotels, restaurants, caterers and other food establishments found analogue paneer being used in place of conventional paneer without the substitution being disclosed on menus, invoices or display boards.
35.4% Samples Fail Standards
The ban follows a year-long enforcement and surveillance exercise by the FDA involving inspections, sampling and awareness initiatives. The department said these measures had not been sufficient to curb the sale and use of analogue paneer. Of the samples analysed during the exercise, 35.4 per cent failed to meet prescribed standards, according to the FDA. The findings pointed to gaps in existing enforcement and labelling requirements, the department said.
The FDA also found that analogue paneer was being transported and sold without original packaging, mandatory labels, invoices, batch identification and traceability documents. The lack of such information made it difficult to establish the source of the products, it said.
According to media reports, an FDA official said that the Food Safety and Standards Act permits a prohibition of this nature for a maximum of one year. The official said the department considered the nutritional value of analogue paneer to be very low, but the existing law did not provide legal grounds for imposing a permanent ban on the category.
The FDA has said businesses that serve analogue paneer as conventional dairy paneer without informing consumers could face action for unfair trade practices under the Food Safety and Standards Act.
Penalties Linked To Consumer Harm
Penalties will depend on the consequences of consuming unsafe food. The FDA said violations could attract imprisonment of six months and a fine of Rs 1 lakh, while cases where consumption of unsafe food results in death could carry life imprisonment and a minimum fine of Rs 10 lakh.
BJP MLA Vikram Pachpute, who had raised the issue in the state legislature and sought a ban on analogue paneer, welcomed the government’s decision. Pachpute also called for scrutiny of cheese analogues, alleging that consumers could be misled when such products are marketed or sold as conventional cheese.
