Karnataka bans analogue paneer: What changes now and which items are exempted

The Karnataka Food Safety and Drugs Administration (KFSDA) has imposed a one-year ban on the manufacture, processing, storage, transportation, and sale of analogue paneer. Analogue paneer is a non-dairy alternative made using vegetable oils, starches, emulsifiers, and other additives. This ban was announced following tests on several paneer samples across the state, which found no adulteration of genuine paneer with vegetable fats or non-dairy ingredients.

However, the prevention of analogue paneer's storage, supply, and sale was issued for public interest. The ban applies to any product made by wholly or partially replacing milk fat or milk solids with vegetable oil, vegetable fat, or other non-dairy components. Such products cannot be labelled, marketed, sold, or represented to consumers as paneer.

Products like frozen desserts, processed cheese, and mixed fat spreads are exempt from this order. Health officials emphasized that while non-dairy paneer may not be inherently toxic, its health impact depends on the specific fats, oils, and additives used. This measure aims to prevent health risks associated with low-quality or heavily processed vegetable fats that can lead to elevated cholesterol levels.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.