India reports thousands of food adulteration cases every year, and dairy products, especially paneer, remain among the most frequently compromised categories, underscoring a rising food fraud concern across the country.
New Delhi, November, 2025: Paneer has been a staple protein source in millions of Indian households but nowadays it has become the center of a growing food safety crisis. Starting from recent raids across Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and other states which have exposed a disturbing reality: thousands of kilograms of adulterated and mislabeled paneer are flooding the markets. This threatens both consumer health and trust in our food systems.
Recent enforcement actions across different states has revealed the magnitude of paneer adulteration in India, with authorities seizing approximately 1,300 kg of spurious paneer in Patiala and 4,810 kg of adulterated paneer on the Lucknow-Agra expressway.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been sounding the alarm. Their 2020 Pan-India Milk Products Survey collected 2,801 milk product samples including paneer, khoa, and chhena from 542 districts across the country, revealing troubling patterns of non-compliance with safety standards. FSSAI conducted a milk survey in 12 states, of which 10 had an incidence of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) and two were controls.
LSD was referenced in the survey because its presence affects milk availability and quality in cattle-producing regions, not because LSD poses any risk to humans or contributes to paneer adulteration.
According to the World Organization of Animal Health, Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is an infectious disease that can have significant impacts on animal health and welfare. LSD is not a threat to human health
Authentic paneer is made from milk (cow or buffalo) curdled using acid or natural fermentation. It provides complete protein, calcium, and essential nutrients regulated under strict food safety standards. This is the product consumers expect when they purchase paneer as it is devoid of adulterations or any spurious matter.
FSSAI regulations define "analogue in the dairy context" as products where non-milk constituents partially or fully replace milk components, resembling dairy products in appearance and function. Analogue paneer typically substitutes milk fat with vegetable oils and may use vegetable proteins instead of milk proteins.
The critical distinction: Analogue products are legal when properly labeled. FSSAI mandates clear labeling requirements:
Contains [name of non-milk constituent including source]
Contains no milk [name of replaced milk constituent]
The problem arises when these products are mislabeled or sold as genuine dairy paneer, deceiving consumers. These sometimes don't deliver the nutrients as specified in their labelling.
Adulterated paneer, the one that was seized in recent raids, found to be made from skimmed milk powder with added oils and fatty ingredients to artificially increase fat content, rendering it unsafe for consumption. Common adulterants include:
Starches and flour (to increase weight)
Vegetable oils or vanaspati (replacing milk fat)
Urea or detergents (mimicking texture)
Synthetic whiteners and preservatives
Unauthorized chemical additives
MedBound Times exclusively consulted a public health specialist, Dr. Deepika Bishnoi, MBBS, MD (Community Medicine), who provided crucial insights into the community-level health implications of this crisis.
Nutritional Deficiency and Vulnerable Populations
"Adulterated or analogue paneer made with vegetable fats, starches or synthetic additives rather than genuine milk curd poses significant health risks at the community level," the Dr. Deepika explained. The FSSAI Milk Product Survey 2020 found that over 40% of milk-product samples failed quality checks, with substantial non-compliance in milk-fat content and presence of foreign fats and starches.
Even when an analogue paneer carries FSSAI certification, it remains a contentious issue. "Certification only means compliance with certain manufacturing categories, not equivalence to milk-paneer in nutrition," Dr. Deepika said.
The controversy stems from several factors:
Nutritional Inferiority: Analogue products lack the complete protein profile, bioavailable calcium, and micronutrients found in dairy paneer
Widespread Mislabeling: Many vendors omit proper disclosure of nutrients or mislabel products as genuine dairy
Consumer Deception: Shoppers believe they're purchasing nutritious dairy when receiving inferior substitutes
Price Manipulation: Analogues sold at dairy paneer prices exploit consumer trust
“The regulation requires correct labelling (“analogue” or “substitute”) if not from milk, but many vendors mislabel or omit disclosure, leading to consumer deception and nutritional shortfall,” she said.
Dr. Deepika has provided us with certain methods that can be employed to identify suspicious paneer:
1. Texture Test
Real paneer: Authentic paneer should be slightly granular and hold shape
Suspect paneer: analogue may feel rubbery or oily
2. Heat Test
Real paneer: real paneer softens and retains structure
Analogue/adulterated: one that melts or leaves oil may be analogue
3. Iodine Test (for starch)
Apply a drop of iodine solution to paneer
Blue-black color: Indicates starch adulteration
No color change: Likely genuine
4. Label Inspection
Check for vegetable oils, starch, emulsifiers in ingredients indicates non-dairy paneer
Look for mandatory statements: "Contains no milk fat" or "analogue"
Verify FSSAI license number
FSSAI has established comprehensive regulations, yet enforcement gaps persist:
For Analogues:
Must be licensed under "General Manufacturing" as standardized food products
Cannot be sold under "proprietary food" category
Require specific labeling declarations about non-milk constituents
Must not use dairy terminology without clear disclosure
Prohibited Products: Certain admixtures are explicitly banned, including ghee or butter blended with vegetable fats or oils. No analogue versions of these products can be legally manufactured.
Since 2011, FSSAI has conducted five major surveillance operations. The 2018 National Milk Safety and Quality Survey collected 6,432 milk samples from 1,103 towns and cities with populations above 50,000, covering both organized and unorganized sectors.
"In my view as a public-health specialist, the issue of analogue and adulterated paneer is not only one of food fraud but of nutritional inequity and long-term health burden," our expert emphasizes.
Key Priorities for Addressing the Crisis:
Strengthened Regulatory Enforcement
Transparent Labeling
Consumer Education
Quality Assurance
Vulnerable Population Protection: Special attention to ensuring nutrition security for children, pregnant women, and economically disadvantaged communities
“For India’s urban and peri-urban populations and especially for vulnerable groups such as adolescents, pregnant women and slum dwellers, regular consumption of low-quality dairy substitutes can silently erode diet quality and exacerbate non‐communicable disease risk,” Dr. Deepika stated.
Safest Choice of Paneer is genuine dairy paneer from reputable sources remains the best option for nutrition, safety, and value. It provides complete protein, bioavailable calcium, and regulated quality.
“From a consumer perspective, the safer and better option is genuine dairy-paneer made from milk of cow or buffalo curdled using acid or fermentation — because it offers complete protein, calcium and is regulated under food-safety standards.”
Dr. Deepika Bishnoi, a postgraduate in Community Medicine
Legal Analogues: May serve specific purposes but should never be sold as dairy paneer. When properly labeled, consumers can make informed choices.
“Analogue paneer may be legally certified for certain processed uses, but it is nutritionally inferior and may be mis-sold as dairy paneer, which reduces its suitability for regular consumption,” she said.
Adulterated Products: Represent both fraud and health hazards. Should be avoided.
As India continues to confront rising food fraud and adulteration concerns, understanding the difference between real, analogue, and fake paneer empowers consumers to make safer choices. Strengthened regulation, better labeling, and consumer awareness together form the path toward restoring trust in dairy products and ensuring public health protection.
