Watch: H-FAST seizes 825 kg suspected adulterated paneer products in Hyderabad raids

The Hyderabad Food Adulteration Surveillance Team seized around 825 kg of suspected adulterated and misbranded food items during raids on food outlets and manufacturing units. Officials found cheese analogue products allegedly being sold as paneer and warned of strict action against violators.

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Food Adulteration Surveillance Team (H-FAST) conducted raids on several food outlets and paneer manufacturing units, resulting in the seizure of around 825 kg of suspected adulterated and misbranded food items on Wednesday.

According to the police, inspections were carried out at 45 retail outlets and eight manufacturing units following complaints regarding the sale of cheese analogue products as paneer.

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Deputy Commissioner of Police, Task Force, Vaibhav Gaikwad Raghunath, said cheese analogue products, which are manufactured using vegetable fats and other non-milk ingredients, were being sold as paneer, malai paneer or milk paneer without proper declaration to consumers.

Such practices amount to misbranding and consumer deception under food safety laws. “Several outlets are procuring cheese analogue products from manufacturers and suppliers located in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and other States before marketing them as paneer,” he said.

In many cases, Vaibhav Gaikwad Raghunath pointed out, the products are sold under misleading labels such as ‘Low Fat Paneer’, ‘Medium Fat Paneer’ and ‘Fresh Paneer’, or even without essential details such as the manufacturing date, batch number, expiry date or traceability information.

The police said that while manufacturers often supplied the products with labels clearly identifying them as “cheese analogue” and carrying declarations such as “contains no dairy fat” and “not responsible for loose sale”, some retailers allegedly removed or ignored these declarations and sold the products as paneer to earn higher profits.

The raids also revealed that certain manufacturers and retail establishments were operating without valid Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licences.

“Some food business operators were found procuring cheese analogue products in bulk and repackaging them under misleading brand names such as ‘Premium Paneer’ without proper declarations, licences or traceability records,” the official said.

During the inspections, officials detected several adulteration practices, including the addition of starch, excess water, non-milk fats, the use of poor-quality or synthetic milk, and the presence of non-food-grade substances.

The H-FAST teams warned citizens that the consumption of adulterated and misbranded food products could pose serious health risks, including food poisoning, allergic reactions, digestive disorders and exposure to inferior or unsafe ingredients.

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Advisory for public:

Purchase paneer only from licensed vendors, carefully check product labels and expiry dates, and avoid buying loose or unlabelled products. Citizens have also been urged to report suspected food safety violations to the authorities.

Warning to food outlets:

Ensure proper declaration of cheese analogue products, maintain mandatory labelling and valid licences, and refrain from repackaging or selling analogue products as paneer. Any violations will invite strict legal action.