Central guidelines soon to curb sale of fake paneer: Chirag Paswan

"The ministry is particularly concerned about the presence of fake 'paneer' (cottage cheese) in the market. We will shortly release a set of rules to check its sale and usage," he told The Tribune on the sidelines of an event by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here.

The minister noted that the government had instead focussed on factual labelling of various paneer products by detailing all ingredients as well as their quantity.

"Instead of approaching the problem with a strict 'yes' and 'no' prism, the government is looking at the matter from a 'each to his own' lens. For instance, protein may be good for one person but harmful to another due to health issues, so he will opt for something different, say non-dairy paneer," he said.

Paswan, however, asserted that nothing beyond regulation would be permitted in such products.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) permits the sale of "paneer analogues"— non-dairy products made from vegetable oils, starches and additives like palm oil and protein fillers, provided they are accurately labeled as "analogue" or "imitation" to avoid misleading consumers.

Key regulations include mandatory declaration of non-dairy constituents and strict prohibition on using the word "paneer" alone or implying it is a dairy product.

The Union minister said more testing labs would be opened across the country for better surveillance and compliance of food safety standards.