MUMBAI : The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), West Region has issued a public notice directing food businesses to ensure the correct identification and labelling of cheese analogues, making it clear that such products cannot be sold or represented as “paneer”.
The public notice, dated April 22, 2026, directs centrally licensed manufacturers, food service establishments and other food business operators to comply strictly with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and applicable regulations concerning cheese analogues.
Cheese analogue cannot be sold as paneer
FSSAI has clarified that selling a cheese analogue as “paneer” constitutes a serious regulatory violation and such practices must stop immediately.
Manufacturers producing cheese analogues have been directed to use accurate and unambiguous product names, particularly when supplying products to restaurants, hotels and other food service establishments.
The move is aimed at preventing situations in which consumers purchase or consume a non-conventional dairy product believing it to be genuine paneer.
Restaurants and food-service operators put on alert
FSSAI has specifically instructed food service establishments to strengthen their procurement controls.
Procurement teams and chefs are expected to be trained to distinguish cheese analogues from paneer and ensure that the former is not purchased, stored or used under the name “paneer”.
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Food businesses have also been directed to maintain vigilance over incoming raw materials and ensure that their procurement documentation accurately identifies the products being received.
Where cheese analogues are used, establishments must provide clear disclosure on menus or display boards, wherever applicable, so that consumers can make an informed choice.
Testing and traceability requirements
The notice also emphasises the importance of raw-material testing, verification and documentation.
Food Business Operators have been instructed to conduct regular testing and verification of raw materials and maintain records of:
- raw-material procurement;
- testing and verification;
- suppliers and relevant documentation; and
- other records required for regulatory traceability.
FSSAI has linked these requirements to Schedule 4, Part II, provisions 5.1.2 and 5.1.3 of the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011.
100% inspections ordered
As part of the enforcement drive, regulatory officers have been directed to conduct 100% inspections of units manufacturing or using cheese analogues in the dairy context.
The inspections are intended to verify compliance with prescribed food standards, product identity, labelling and procurement requirements.
Why the distinction matters
The regulatory issue is not simply whether a food contains vegetable fat or other non-milk ingredients. The central concern is truthful product identity and consumer information.
A cheese analogue may be a separately regulated food product when it meets applicable requirements. However, representing it as conventional paneer can mislead consumers about its composition, nutritional characteristics and identity.
The latest FSSAI action therefore strengthens the principle that a substitute should be sold under its correct identity rather than using the name of a different traditional dairy product.
The notice also places greater responsibility on restaurants and institutional food operators, where consumers may not be able to see the original packaging of the ingredient being used.
For the dairy industry, the message is clear: product identity, accurate labelling, procurement verification and traceability are now central to preventing the misrepresentation of cheese analogues as paneer.
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