FSSAI moves to ban ‘fake paneer’: Only milk-based products can carry the name
New Delhi, 26th September 2026: India’s food regulator is moving to ban the sale of non-dairy “analogue” paneer, tightening rules so that only milk-based products can be labelled and sold as paneer. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has published a draft notification proposing an amendment to its dairy standards, and is inviting public suggestions within 60 days.
The proposed change prohibits the sale of “paneer made of constituents not derived from milk” under the name paneer. According to the notification, existing products licensed or registered under the “Analogue in Dairy Context” category will have to drop the word “paneer” from their nomenclature, labelling and marketing. The move aims to prevent consumers from being misled about the nature and composition of what they are buying.
Under current dairy standards, paneer must be made from milk and milk solids, and may only contain specified acidulants (such as lactic acid, citric acid, malic acid, vinegar, glucono delta lactone, sour whey), salt, and spices or condiments. Vegetable oils, vegetable fats and vegetable proteins are not permitted in products sold as paneer.
The issue gained attention after social media posts last year alleged that “fake paneer” was being served at a Mumbai restaurant linked to Gauri Khan. Following that, FSSAI held stakeholder meetings to discuss whether vegetable-oil-based “paneer” should be required to carry clear labels such as “non-dairy” and “analogue”, along with a list of ingredients. For example: “Analogue of cheese (Milk Solids, Refined Palm Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable fat, Modified Starch, Emulsifier)”.
FSSAI also floated the idea that menu cards in restaurants should specifically mention if the paneer or cheese being used is “non-dairy” or “analogue”, even though existing labelling norms already require eateries to disclose details of the food they sell. At least eight states, including Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra, have already implemented similar bans at the state level, restricting the use of the term “paneer” for non-dairy analogue products. The new central-level amendment would bring this into FSSAI’s national regulations.
