What is analogue paneer? How is it made?

According to the standards set by the FSSAI, a product can be called paneer when it is made from milk or milk solids using permitted acids.

In the case of a paneer analogue, milk fat or milk protein may be partly or wholly replaced with non-milk constituents such as vegetable fat or oil or vegetable protein. Depending on the formulation, manufacturers may also use ingredients such as starches, milk solids, emulsifiers and stabilisers. And there is no exact composition, so the nutritional aspect of the product also varies from product to product.

FSSAI calls these products ‘Analogue in the dairy context’. Analogues are, therefore, not illegal by themselves; the problem arises when these get sold and used as conventional paneer without clear disclosure.

What has the FSSAI proposed, and why now?

The draft notification proposes ban on the manufacture and sale of paneer not made from milk. The proposal comes amid rising concerns of analogue paneers reportedly sold as conventional paneer.

The FSSAI’s Central Advisory committee has noted that the absence of specific quality parameters for dairy analogues, particularly in the case of paneer, makes enforcement difficult. It also raised concerns that consumers may not be able to distinguish an analogue from genuine paneer made from milk, especially when it’s used in restaurants.

Several States have already taken action against this. Punjab, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattishgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal, Telangana and Uttarakhand have imposed restrictions and banned the manufacture and sale of analogue paneer.

In Maharashtra, for example, the FDA imposed a one-year ban on the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of non-dairy paneer on July 30. Violations of this rule can attract penalties of a jail sentence of up to six months, with a fine of ₹1 lakh; and in case of death from consumption of unsafe food, life imprisonment and a minimum fine of ₹10 lakh can be imposed.

Following which, food delivery platform Zomato also adopted a zero-tolerance policy on analogue dairy products, including analogue paneer on August 31. It delisted dishes that restaurants had declared as containing analogue dairy and asked restaurants to switch to natural dairy products or remove such items.

Is analogue paneer unsafe? How is it nutritionally different from genuine paneer?

Being an analogue doesn’t by itself mean it is unsafe to consume. The concern stems from not knowing what went into the making of the analogue product, or what has been used to substitute for the milk constituents and the rest of the composition. Unlike conventional paneer, there is no single ingredient list for making an analogue. Mislabelling deceives the consumers. An analogue made with vegetable fat and starch, for instance, cannot be assumed to provide the same amount or quality of protein and nutrition as conventional paneer. Paneer made from milk products has a defined nutritional profile set by the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN-ICMR). Their Indian Food Composition Tables puts the average protein content of paneer at about 18.9 grams per 100 gram, with about 24.8 gram of fat and 2.4 gram of carbohydrate. For analogue paneer though, there is no equivalent standard nutritional value or protein data, because the formulation varies between products and depends heavily on the ingredients used.

So, why make an analogue in the first place?

Because replacing relatively expensive milk fat and milk protein with cheaper non-milk ingredients can substantially reduce production costs. Industry estimates suggest that analogue paneer can cost about 30–50% less than conventional paneer, with reported prices of around ₹200–250 a kg, compared with roughly ₹400–600 per kg for milk-based paneer.

Can you tell if the paneer you are buying or eating is an analogue?

For packaged products, checking the ingredient list and nutrition information are the starting points. But, for the food eaten outside, menu declarations about analogue use are nearly rare-to-non-existent.

Price, texture and appearance may offer clues, but they cannot by themselves establish authenticity. The same applies to commonly circulated home tests such as the iodine test or dry-pan test. An iodine reaction, for example, can indicate the presence of starch adulterants, but that does not by itself prove that a product is an analogue. Laboratory testing remains the more reliable way of establishing composition.

The FSSAI proposal, therefore, seeks to ban the manufacturing of analogue paneer in the interest of consumers.

The draft is put up in the public domain for suggestions and feedbacks for 60 days.

Consumers who suspect deception may lodge complaints through the toll-free helpline: 1800-11-2100 (or 1800-112-100); They can also lodge a complaint in the official FSSAI WhatsApp Grievance Number: +91 9868686868