Govt Likely to Mandate Labelling Dishes Made with Analogue Paneer; Check What It is & How It Differs from Traditional One

Consumer Affairs Ministry is mulling to issue guidelines to hotels and restaurants, mandating them to disclose when they use “analogue paneer” instead of traditional one in the dishes for their customers, PTI reported, citing official sources. 

“Analogue paneer looks and tastes like traditional paneer, but it is not paneer. Analogue paneer is cheaper and why not hotels and restaurants reveal it to consumers,” consumer affairs secretary Nidhi Khare told PTI. 

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) already has regulations in place that make it mandatory for manufacturers of analogue paneer to label the product as “non-dairy”. However, no rules have been formulated for prepared foods served in restaurants.

What is Analogue Paneer? 

According to FSSAI, an analogue paneer is a product in which milk constituents are either completely or partially replaced with non-dairy ingredients. Traditional paneer is prepared by curdling fresh milk with acids like lemon juice or vinegar, whereas the analogue version contains emulsifiers, starch and vegetable oils. Due to analogue paneer’s similar appearance to normal and traditional paneer, customers get easily deceived. 

It is also known as fake paneer or synthetic paneer. Due to its cost being nearly half as much as that of dairy-based paneer, hotels and restaurants often opt for it as a cost-saving strategy. 

While it's not illegal to sell Analogue Paneer in the country, the government has made it mandatory to disclose the information on the product. The non-compliance of this rule attracts severe penalties. 

Analogue Paneer Vs Traditional Paneer

Analogue Paneer gained attention in October last year, when a Gurugram-based social media user had accused that the Indian food delivery giant Zomato of delivering fake paneer prepared from vegetable oil. The labelling on the platform reportedly stated the product as “Analogue Paneer”, advertised as suitable for tikkas and gravies. 

The social media post garnered widespread attention and sparked discussions, including its comparison with traditional paneer and health implications. The use of substitute traditional paneer has raised concerns primarily because it contains unhealthy trans fats and has lower protein levels. 

“Regular paneer is an excellent source of protein, calcium, and healthy fats. On the other hand, Analogue paneer has a lower protein content and often contains unhealthy fats, particularly trans fats or high levels of saturated fats,” chief clinical nutritionist at Amrita Hospital, Charu Dua told India Today.