Ahmedabad, August 6: Gujarat has prohibited the production and sale of analogue paneer, cheese and butter, joining Maharashtra in tightening regulations against non-dairy substitutes marketed as conventional dairy products.
Announcing the decision on Wednesday, Praful Pansheriya said the state has banned the manufacture and sale of analogue dairy products to safeguard consumers and strengthen food safety enforcement.
The move comes days after Maharashtra imposed a one-year ban on analogue paneer, making it the second state after Chhattisgarh to prohibit the product. With Gujarat’s latest decision, regulatory action against imitation dairy products is gaining momentum across major dairy-producing states.
Ban Covers Production and Sale
The Gujarat government has prohibited the manufacture, processing, storage, distribution and sale of analogue paneer, cheese and butter across the state.
Analogue dairy products are manufactured using vegetable oils, starches, emulsifiers and other non-dairy ingredients instead of milk fat. Although they resemble traditional dairy products in appearance and texture, they generally contain lower protein and nutritional value than products made from milk.
Maharashtra’s Findings Prompt Wider Action
The Gujarat decision follows an extensive enforcement drive by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration, which found that several hotels, restaurants and food businesses were allegedly serving analogue paneer as conventional dairy paneer without informing consumers through menus, invoices or product labels.
Also Read: Maharashtra Bans Non-Dairy Paneer; Violators Face Up to 6 Months’ Jail and ₹1 Lakh Fine
Based on its investigation, Tukaram Mundhe issued a gazette notification prohibiting the manufacture, processing, packing, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of analogue paneer for one year.
Officials said the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 permits such prohibitory orders for a maximum period of one year.
High Rate of Non-Compliance
According to the Maharashtra FDA, 35.4% of analogue paneer samples analysed during a year-long surveillance programme failed to meet prescribed standards.
The agency also reported that many products were transported and sold without original packaging, mandatory labels, invoices, batch numbers or traceability records, making it difficult to identify manufacturers and ensure consumer protection.
Authorities concluded that existing labelling requirements and routine inspections had not been sufficient to prevent consumers from being misled.
Strict Penalties
Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, violations may attract penalties depending on the seriousness of the offence, including:
- Up to six months’ imprisonment and a fine of ₹1 lakh for general violations.
- Life imprisonment and a minimum fine of ₹10 lakh in cases where consumption of unsafe food results in death.
Calls for Wider Enforcement
Welcoming Maharashtra’s action, Vikram Pachpute, who had earlier raised the issue in the state legislature, urged authorities to extend scrutiny to cheese analogues and other imitation dairy products, alleging that consumers are often unaware they are purchasing non-dairy substitutes.
With Gujarat joining Maharashtra in banning analogue dairy products, industry observers believe more states may review their regulatory frameworks as concerns over food adulteration, consumer transparency and product authenticity continue to grow across India’s dairy sector.
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