The Himachal Pradesh government on Thursday prohibited the sale, purchase, storage and supply of non-dairy paneer or analogue paneer which does not comply with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
The order came amid reports of widespread sales of analogue or non-dairy paneer in the markets.
Instead of milk, non-dairy paneer is made using vegetable oils or plant fats and emulsifiers. The product imitates the traditional paneer but lacks nutrients.
“Paneer is a standardised dairy product and any product represented and sold is required to comply with standards prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards Regulation Act, and as Paneer is being widely consumed as a vegetarian source of protein, it is imperative that provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act are enforced for protection of consumers,” a notification by the Commissioner, Food Safety, said.
No person or food business operator (FBO) shall manufacture, process, prepare, pack, store, stock, transport, distribute, supply, expose for sale or otherwise deal in analogue and non-dairy paneer within the state, the notification said.
“Any product in which milk fat, milk solids or other milk constituents have been mixed or wholly or partly substituted by vegetable oil or vegetable fat shall not be represented, described, advertised, displayed, supplied or sold as Paneer,” it added.
PTI
