Ahmedabad: Gujarat has imposed a statewide ban on the production, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of non-standard analogue paneer, cheese and butter, joining Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh in tightening controls over dairy-like products made with non-dairy ingredients.
The decision followed food safety inspections and laboratory testing by the state’s food safety authorities. Officials cited concerns over consumer protection, food safety and the possibility of consumers being misled about the nature of products sold as dairy foods.
Gujarat prohibits manufacture and sale
The ban was announced by Gujarat Health Minister Praful Pansheriya, with food businesses across the state directed to stop dealing in the prohibited products.
The restrictions cover manufacturing, storage, transportation, distribution and sale. Violations can attract action under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
The state has also indicated that enforcement will cover restaurants, hotels, dairy parlours, supermarkets, caterers and traders handling such products.
What are analogue dairy products?
Analogue dairy products are formulated to resemble conventional dairy products but can contain vegetable oils, starches, emulsifiers and other non-dairy ingredients in place of some or all milk-derived components.
The regulatory concern is particularly significant when such products are presented or marketed in a manner that could lead consumers to believe they are conventional dairy products.
Also Read: Delhi Food Safety Department Destroys Over 4,100 Kg Paneer and Khoya During Festive Season Drive
The Gujarat government said its action followed sampling and laboratory testing that identified products not conforming to prescribed standards.
Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh have taken similar action
Gujarat’s move follows restrictions imposed earlier by Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, making the three states among those that have taken state-level action against non-standard analogue dairy products.
The measures reflect growing regulatory attention to the distinction between genuine dairy products and products that imitate their appearance or characteristics using non-dairy ingredients.
FSSAI moves towards a national regulatory framework
The state-level actions come alongside a broader regulatory development at the national level.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) published a draft Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Amendment Regulations, 2026 on September 24. The draft specifically concerns restrictions relating to paneer made from constituents not derived from milk.
The draft is currently part of the regulatory consultation process and should therefore not be described as a final nationwide ban.
Implications for the dairy sector
The tightening of controls has implications for both consumers and the organised dairy industry. For consumers, clearer differentiation between milk-based products and non-dairy analogues is relevant to informed purchasing.
For dairy processors and cooperatives, enforcement against products marketed contrary to prescribed standards is also linked to maintaining product identity and protecting the integrity of the dairy value chain.
The Gujarat action, together with measures in other states and the FSSAI’s draft proposal, indicates that labelling, product composition and the manner in which dairy substitutes are marketed are receiving increasing regulatory attention.
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