FSSAI proposes nationwide ban on manufacture, sale of non-dairy analogue products as ‘paneer’
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has moved to ban the manufacturing and sale of any non-dairy “analogue products as paneer”.
The food regulator, in a post on its official social media handle, said it had proposed a ban on “the sale of analogue paneer made from constituents not derived from milk.” It further said the move was undertaken to safeguard consumer interests and ban the practice of marketing analogue products as paneer.
Analogue dairy products are non-dairy alternatives in which some or all milk constituents are replaced with ingredients not derived from milk. Analogue paneer, for instance, can be made using vegetable oils, starches, plant proteins, emulsifiers and other additives instead of milk fat.
What has the FSSAI proposed?
According to a notification released on Thursday, the FSSAI has proposed to amend the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011.
“The amendment is proposed in the following regulation to restrict manufacturing and sale of analogue product as paneer so as to prevent misleading of consumer's regarding the nature and composition of the product,” the notification stated. It added that the products which have already been registered or licensed under ‘Analogue in Dairy Context’ category would be required to discontinue the use of the term “Paneer” in their nomenclature, labelling or marketing.
The regulator said this was being done as part of the powers conferred to it under sub- section (2) of section 92 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
“Objections or suggestions, if any, may be addressed to the Chief Executive Officer, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, FDA Bhawan, Kotla Road, New Delhi - 110002 or sent on email at regulation@fssai.gov.in,” the FSSAI stated.
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The food regulator has also invited objections and suggestions for 60 days from the date the relevant Official Gazette copies are made available to the public. After considering the representations received, FSSAI would proceed with the regulatory process.
Several states ban analogue paneer; Zomato follows suit
The FSSAI move comes even as several states have imposed a ban on the manufacturing and sale of analogue paneer. These include Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh.
Food delivery platform Zomato too announced a zero-tolerance policy against the sale of dishes containing analogue dairy products on its platform, saying restaurants that fail to comply could be delisted.
Dishes that restaurant partners declared as containing analogue dairy were removed from the platform, Zomato said in a release earlier this week.
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