Archive · 25 Sep 2026
FSSAI Draft Bars Non-Milk Products From Using Paneer Name
FSSAI is India’s food safety regulator.
It wants foods made without milk to stop using the name “paneer.”
Real paneer is made from milk and milk solids.
Some substitute products use vegetable oils, fats, starches, proteins or other ingredients instead.
FSSAI says shoppers could mistakenly buy these substitutes while thinking they are buying regular paneer.
The proposed rule would make those products use names and labels that show what they really contain.
The rule could also affect products that are already licensed or registered as dairy analogues.
This is still a draft, so it is not yet a final nationwide ban.
FSSAI has proposed restricting the manufacture and sale of non-dairy analogue products as “paneer” across India.
The draft would prohibit products made from non-milk constituents, including vegetable oils, fats, proteins, starches and emulsifiers, from using the paneer name.
Products licensed under the “Analogue in Dairy Context” category would have to remove “paneer” from their names, labels and marketing.
FSSAI says the proposal would prevent consumers from confusing substitutes with milk-based paneer and improve labelling transparency.
The draft was notified on September 22, 2026, published on September 23, and remains open to public feedback for 60 days.
- Who
- The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), with feedback invited from businesses, stakeholders and the public.
- What
- A draft amendment would restrict non-dairy analogue products from being manufactured, sold or marketed as “paneer.”
- When
- The notification was dated September 22, 2026, published in the Gazette on September 23, and opened for a 60-day consultation.
- Where
- The proposed restriction would apply across India; feedback may be submitted to FSSAI in New Delhi or through the email address specified in the notification.
- Why
- FSSAI says the measure is intended to prevent consumers from being misled about products’ nature and composition and to improve labelling clarity.
- Regulator
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
- Proposed restriction
- “Paneer made of constituents not derived from milk” would be restricted from being sold or represented as paneer.
- Covered products
- Analogue products using non-milk ingredients such as vegetable oils, fats, proteins, starches and emulsifiers.
- Existing products
- Products licensed or registered under “Analogue in Dairy Context” would have to discontinue using “paneer” in their nomenclature, labelling and marketing.
- Consultation period
- Objections and suggestions are invited for 60 days after the Gazette notification is made available to the public.
- Current status
- The proposal is a draft and has not yet become a final nationwide rule.
- State actions
- Maharashtra imposed a one-year ban on analogue paneer, while Gujarat and several other states have announced restrictions or bans.
- Maharashtra testing
- Of 308 paneer and dairy-analogue samples tested between April 2025 and March 2026, 109, or 35.4%, reportedly failed prescribed standards.
Sources
FSSAI may bar 'analogue' products from using 'paneer' name. What it means for buyers?
No ‘paneer’ tag for analogue products, FSSAI proposes
Food regulator FSSAI bans fake paneer
FSSAI proposes curbs on sale of non milk products as ‘paneer’
FSSAI proposes to prohibit manufacturing, sale of analogue paneer across country
If It Is Analogue, It Should Not Be Called "Paneer": Food Authority Drafts New Proposal
Crackdown on Fake Paneer: FSSAI Draft Amendment Says No Use of the Term 'Paneer' if Product Is Made from Non-Milk Ingredients
