Maharashtra bans non-dairy paneer for one year

The Maharashtra government has issued a food safety notification banning the manufacture and sale of analogue or non-dairy paneer across the State for one year.

The order was issued on July 30 by Food Safety Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe and took effect on the same day.

"The manufacture, processing, preparation, packing, storage, distribution (including transportation), wholesale sale, retail sale, offering or exposing for sale, and sale by any means whatsoever, within the State of Maharashtra, of analogue / non-dairy paneer (by whatever name called or described), is hereby prohibited throughout the State of Maharashtra for a period of one year from the date of publication of this Order in the Official Gazette,” the notification said.

It defined analogue or non‑dairy paneer as any product that resembles paneer but where milk fat or milk solids are wholly or partly replaced by vegetable oil, vegetable fat or other non‑milk derived ingredients. 

The commissioner specified that laboratory sampling between April 2025 and March 2026 showed that 35.4% of paneer and dairy analogue samples were non‑conforming. This included unsafe products made with foreign (non‑milk) fat or vegetable oils and misbranded as paneer. 

He added that analogue paneer offers little nutritional value and is vulnerable to adulteration. Additionally, it poses a threat to public health and consumers’ interests because it is difficult to regulate without clear standards and can easily be sold as genuine paneer.

The notification expressly prohibits hotels, restaurants, caterers, cloud kitchens and other food service establishments from using, storing or serving analogue/ non‑dairy paneer in any dish. 

Serving products in the guise of genuine paneer is now considered an “unfair trade practice” under Section 24 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

The notification reiterated that paneer and chhena must meet prescribed standards. These standards recognise regular/full‑fat, medium‑fat and low‑fat paneer categories with specific moisture and milk‑fat limits and packaging rules.

Medium‑fat and low‑fat paneer/chhena must be sold only in sealed packs with prescribed declarations. Regular paneer can be sold loose, subject to all labelling and safety regulations.

Any violation of this order attracts penalties under several sections, including seizure and destruction of offending products. 

Under the Act, basic quality and labelling failures usually carry monetary penalties including up to ₹5 lakh for selling food not of the demanded nature or quality.

More serious cases fall under Section 59 which covers unsafe food. Depending on the harm caused, the punishment can include imprisonment upto six years along with fine. 

If unsafe food leads to death, the law provides for a minimum seven years’ imprisonment, which may extend to life imprisonment, and a minimum fine of ₹10 lakh.

[Read Notification]