FSSAI Proposes Nationwide Ban on ‘Paneer’ Tag for Non-Dairy Analogue Products

25 Sep 2026, 07:59 by Vinay Kakkad · KalingaTV

New Delhi: In a regulatory overhaul aimed at curbing deceptive marketing practices in India’s dairy sector, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed banning the term “paneer” on imitation products formulated with non-dairy substitutes.

The proposed amendment to the food safety framework targets manufacturers, food business operators, and hospitality establishments—including hotels, restaurants, and catering services—barring them from branding plant-based or vegetable-fat alternatives as authentic dairy paneer. Under the draft guidelines, any item produced with non-milk constituents can no longer use “paneer” across its nomenclature, packaging labels, or marketing collateral.

The regulator has opened a 60-day public consultation window, inviting feedback and recommendations from stakeholders and consumers before finalizing the statutory changes.

Closing the Analogue Loophole

The regulatory intervention specifically addresses items categorized under the “Analogue in Dairy Context” registry. Companies holding active licenses or registrations within this bracket must phase out the “paneer” designation entirely.

According to official standard definitions, authentic paneer must be derived exclusively from milk and milk solids. Permissible additives are restricted strictly to:

Acidulants, including lactic acid, citric acid, malic acid, vinegar, glucono delta-lactone, and sour whey
Common salt
Specified spices and condiments

By contrast, analogue variations routinely replace natural milk proteins and dairy fats with refined vegetable oils, hydrogenated fats, or plant-derived proteins. Under the draft directives, these formulations will be strictly barred from invoking the paneer moniker to prevent buyers from being misled regarding product composition.

Mandated Point-of-Sale Disclosures

Beyond packaging restrictions for retail goods, the statutory update imposes tighter point-of-sale transparency rules. Commercial dining venues utilizing imitation dairy will be subject to strict compliance under the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations.

Food outlets using paneer or cheese analogues must conspicuously display their nature on menus and order interfaces. The FSSAI previously consulted industry operators on requiring explicit disclosures that label dishes as “non-dairy” or “analogue” alongside an exhaustive ingredient list—such as specifying components like refined palm oil, hydrogenated vegetable fat, modified starch, and emulsifiers.

Digital Marketplace Crackdown

The move aligns with broader enforcement under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, targeting major online delivery and retail platforms for misbranding, unsubstantiated claims, and regulatory breaches.

Once the two-month public feedback phase concludes, the finalized framework will establish nationwide statutory boundaries distinguishing pure dairy paneer from industrial analogues at every point of the supply chain.