Chandigarh: The Punjab government has imposed a one-year prohibition on the manufacture, processing, preparation, packing, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of analogue or non-dairy paneer across the state.
The prohibition order was issued by Kanwal Preet Brar, a 2007-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre and Commissioner of Food and Drug Administration, Punjab, under Section 30(2)(a) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The order took effect from its issuance and will remain in force for one year unless modified, rescinded or extended in accordance with law.
What Does the Order Cover?
The prohibition applies to products being marketed as paneer despite containing non-milk ingredients. The order covers products described as analogue paneer, non-dairy paneer, vegan paneer or synthetic paneer, among similar descriptions, when represented or sold as “paneer.”
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According to the order, an analogue or non-dairy paneer is a product resembling paneer in which milk fat or milk solids are wholly or partly replaced with vegetable oil, vegetable fat or other non-milk-derived constituents.
Why Punjab Imposed the Ban
The order followed sampling and laboratory analysis conducted by Punjab’s food safety authorities.
Between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026, 512 paneer and dairy-analogue samples had been analysed. Of these, 215 samples, or 42%, were reported as non-conforming, comprising 156 substandard and 59 unsafe samples.
The order noted that continued surveillance, sampling, enforcement and awareness measures had not resulted in an appreciable improvement in the proportion of non-conforming samples.
It also cited cases where laboratory testing showed Butyro-refractometer readings outside the prescribed limits for milk fat, indicating the presence or substitution of vegetable or other foreign fats.
Paneer Standards Under Food Safety Rules
The order refers to Regulation 2.1.16 of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, under which paneer is a standardised food obtained from milk, with or without added milk solids.
The order states that replacing milk fat with vegetable oil, vegetable fat or other non-milk fat does not meet the prescribed standard for paneer.
Food Safety Teams to Conduct Inspections
Following the prohibition, designated officers and food safety officers across Punjab have been directed to enforce the order.
Inspections will cover:
- Dairy and paneer manufacturing units
- Wholesalers and distributors
- Retail outlets
- Cold stores
- Warehouses
- Other food businesses involved in the supply chain
The authorities have also been directed to conduct regular and surprise inspections to check compliance.
The Punjab Food and Drug Administration has also planned a statewide enforcement campaign to implement the prohibition.
Labelling Requirements
The order also reiterates that food businesses dealing in paneer and chhana must comply with the applicable declarations under the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020.
The measure comes ahead of the festive season, when demand for paneer and other dairy products traditionally receives greater attention from food safety authorities.
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