The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is gearing up to prohibit manufacturing and sale of analogue paneer at a pan-India level and has notified draft amendments for stakeholder consultation. This comes as nine state governments have already banned the sale and manufacturing of analogue paneer.
The Food Safety authority, which has been focusing on a crackdown on violations along with State FDAs, has expressed concerns regarding the sale of analogue paneer in the country.
Analogue paneer refers to a product where ingredients not derived from milk replace some or all of the milk components, resulting in a product that mimics the sensory and functional properties of paneer.
FSSAI has decided to introduce draft amendments in the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) regulations.
“The amendment is proposed to restrict manufacturing and sale of analogue product as paneer so as to prevent misleading of consumer’s regarding the nature and composition of the product,” the draft notification stated.
The draft notification added that products already licensed or registered under “Analogue in Dairy Context” category will need to discontinue the use of the term “Paneer” in their nomenclature, labelling or marketing.
“These regulations may be called the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Amendment Regulations, 2026,” it added.
States that have already banned manufacture, storage, sale and distribution of analogue paneer for atleast one year. These include Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh , Karnataka , Uttar Pradesh and Uttarkhand.
Ahead of the festival season, FSSAI has also directed States to ramp up surveillance and inspections to prevent adulteration especially for dairy and dairy related products which witness an increase in demand.
Published on September 24, 2026
