Are you eating real paneer?

Food lovers, especially vegetarians, should be aware of analogue paneer that may contain vegetable oils or animal fats and less nutritive value. The restaurant where you order does not reveal whether their paneer is dairy-based or an analogue product made up of either animal fat or vegetable oils

Hyderabad: Is your favorite paneer dish really paneer?

Food lovers, especially vegetarians, should be aware of analogue paneer that may contain vegetable oils or animal fats and less nutritive value. The restaurant where you order does not reveal whether their paneer is dairy-based or an analogue product made up of either animal fat or vegetable oils.

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Analogue paneer is made from vegetable oils or animal fats and is regulated by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The problem comes when you walk into a restaurant and order a paneer dish. The eatery, from where you might have ordered a paneer dish online, does not specify whether the paneer is made-up of milk or vegetable/animal oils.

While you eat your favorite paneer, thinking it is nutritious, in reality, you might be eating an analogue substitute made up of processed food products that mimics the taste and texture of traditional paneer. Typically, analogue paneer is made from a combination of vegetable oils, animal fats and starch, which provides restaurants with a cheaper alternative to paneer. However, it is not as nutritious as the original paneer.

Analogue paneer contains hydrogenated vegetable oils containing high trans fat, which increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and could possibly lead to other health problems. Analogue paneer is also very low in protein, compared to the traditional dairy based paneer.

Public health specialists familiar with the issue pointed out that people, when they go out to buy paneer, should carefully check for branding and nutritional value of paneer products that they are buying. There will be occasions when manufacturers might write ‘Analogue’ in small letters on the products cover. The consumers, unaware of these nuances, end-up buying the product, under the assumption that it is the original dairy-based paneer.

“A lot of people still don’t know or are not informed about analogue paneer. So, when they order paneer dishes, whether through a food delivery app or at a restaurant, they usually don’t check if it is real dairy paneer or made with vegetable or animal fats. On its part, FSSAI does not act on companies that do not clearly and legibly declare whether the paneer is analogue or dairy-based,” doctors said.