The Karnataka Food Safety and Drug Administration Department has prohibited the manufacture, processing, packing, storage, distribution, transportation and sale of analogue or non-dairy paneer being marketed under the name "Paneer" across the state for a period of one year.
The notification, issued on Aug. 17, 2026, was brought in under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, in the interest of public health and consumer protection.
The health department has clarified that paneer is a standardised milk-based product, and that replacing milk fat or milk solids with vegetable oil, vegetable fat or other non-dairy ingredients is not permitted under existing standards.
Products made by partially or fully substituting milk components with such ingredients are classified as analogue or non-dairy paneer, and cannot be marketed or sold to consumers under the "Paneer" label, the order stated.
The department further clarified that the prohibition applies specifically to dairy analogue products for which the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has not prescribed separate standards.
The order also bars food business operators from using, storing, supplying or selling such analogue paneer in the preparation or manufacture of any food product, effectively closing off its use even as a raw ingredient in other dishes.
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However, the prohibition does not extend to standardised products such as frozen desserts, processed cheese and mixed fat spreads, which fall under separate FSSAI standards and remain unaffected by the order.
The Food Safety and Drug Administration Department has directed all food business operators across Karnataka to comply with the notification, warning that necessary enforcement measures will be taken against violators.
The move comes amid a broader push by food safety authorities across states to crack down on adulteration and mislabelling in dairy products, with paneer emerging as a frequent target of such action given its widespread use in Indian households and the food service industry.
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