Telangana bans analogue paneer for one year

TG SAFE has imposed a one-year ban on the manufacture and sale of analogue paneer under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The move aims to curb deceptive practices where non-dairy substitutes are marketed as genuine paneer.

Hyderabad: The Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE) has issued a notification prohibiting the manufacture, processing, packing, storage, distribution, and sale of non-dairy or analogue paneer in the State. 

The ban, enacted under Section 30(2)(a) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, remains in effect for one year starting Thursday, September 10, 2026.

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The prohibition targets imitation paneer products that closely resemble traditional dairy paneer but are manufactured using vegetable fats, edible oils, starches, and other non-dairy substitutes. Authorities noted that these items are frequently marketed deceptively under the guise of genuine milk-derived paneer, prompting stringent regulatory intervention.

With the ban on analogue paneer, Telangana has joined a growing group of states that have taken action against analogue paneer. 

Some of the other Indian States that have already imposed a ban on analogue paneer include Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Himachal Pradesh, aiming to curtail the deceptive sale of non-dairy paneer. 

Analogue paneer is a synthetic alternative primarily formulated from skimmed milk powder, vegetable oils, emulsifiers, and stabilizers designed to mimic the appearance and texture of traditional paneer at a significantly lower cost. 

In the last few months, there have been a slew of instances where food safety enforcement agencies in Hyderabad have observed widespread malpractice with hotels, restaurants, and cloud kitchens substituting real dairy paneer with cheaper analogue variants without informing consumers. 

Interestingly, despite a large number of states imposing a ban on analogue paneer, the apex food safety regulator of the country i.e. the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), officially recognizes dairy analogues as legitimate food products. 

The FSSAI permits the production and sale of analogue paneer on the strict condition that manufacturers and eateries label them accurately and never market them under the name “paneer”. 

However, the majority of eateries seldom disclose on their menus whether their dishes contain analogue paneer or real dairy paneer.