Archive · 5 Aug 2026
Maharashtra Bans Analogue Paneer for a Year Over Adulteration Concerns
The Maharashtra government has stopped hotels and restaurants from serving a fake type of cheese called analogue paneer for one whole year.
Real paneer is made by curdling milk with lemon juice or vinegar.
Analogue paneer is made with cheap vegetable fats, starch and other additives instead of milk.
It can look and taste similar to real paneer, but it has almost no nutrition.
The government took this action because more than 35 out of every 100 paneer samples failed quality tests.
The tests found vegetable fat where milk should be.
Eating too much analogue paneer could mean more unhealthy fats and salt in your diet.
Experts say fresh paneer gives you protein and calcium that the fake version does not.
They tell people to buy paneer from trusted brands and check the expiry date.
Fresh paneer costs more, but it is the healthier choice.
The Maharashtra government has banned the production, distribution and sale of unstandardised analogue paneer at all hotels and restaurants for one year.
Over 35 per cent of recent state paneer samples failed quality tests due to vegetable fat adulteration.
Analogue paneer is a cheaper substitute made from vegetable fats, starch, emulsifiers and additives rather than pure milk, with little nutritional value.
State FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe issued the gazette order on July 30, 2026, citing serious public health concerns.
Experts advise buying fresh milk-based paneer from trusted brands, checking manufacturing and expiry dates, and avoiding paneer with a sour smell or slimy texture.
- Who
- Maharashtra's state food regulator, FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, and dietitians Ketaki Shah and Zamurrud Patel.
- What
- A one-year ban on the production, distribution and sale of unstandardised analogue paneer at all hotels and restaurants.
- When
- The gazette order was issued on July 30, 2026.
- Where
- Maharashtra, India.
- Why
- Over 35 per cent of paneer samples failed quality tests due to vegetable fat adulteration, raising public health concerns.
- Action
- One-year ban on unstandardised analogue paneer at hotels and restaurants
- Order date
- July 30, 2026
- Issuing authority
- Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe
- Failed samples
- Over 35 per cent of recent state paneer samples
- Reason
- Vegetable fat adulteration
- Analogue paneer ingredients
- Vegetable fats, starch, emulsifiers and additives
- Fresh paneer price
- Above Rs 350 per kg
- Analogue paneer price
- From Rs 150 onward