Karnataka has imposed a one-year ban on the manufacture, processing, packaging, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of analogue or non-dairy paneer marketed as “paneer”, with the prohibition effective until August 17, 2027.
The regulatory message is clear: The Karnataka Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) has acted under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, because standardised paneer is a milk-based product and its milk fat cannot be replaced with vegetable oil, vegetable fat or other non-dairy ingredients when sold as paneer.
But there is an important twist: The Karnataka FDA said that several paneer samples it tested did not show adulteration with vegetable oil, vegetable fat or other non-dairy ingredients. Despite this, the ban has been imposed on public-health grounds and to prevent analogue products from being represented as genuine paneer.
Analogue paneer can contain ingredients such as vegetable oils, including palm oil, industrial starch and other additives, instead of natural dairy ingredients.
The restrictions apply across the supply chain—from manufacturing and processing to packaging, storage, transportation, distribution and sale. Food businesses have also been directed not to use, store, supply or sell analogue/non-dairy paneer while preparing or manufacturing food products.
Importantly, the order does not cover separately regulated products such as frozen desserts, processed cheese and milk-fat spreads, which continue to be governed by their respective FSSAI regulations.
The FDA has announced enforcement drives across Karnataka to ensure compliance.
Karnataka now joins Maharashtra, which imposed a similar one-year ban earlier in August 2026. The emerging trend suggests that the regulatory focus is shifting beyond adulteration detection toward product identity, labelling and consumer representation.
For dairy businesses, the question is no longer simply “Is the product safe?” It is also: “Is the product being sold as what it actually is?”
Food Safety And Standards Authority Of India (Fssai)
Karnataka Chemical Industries | Food | Nutraceuticals | Pharmaceuticals Indian Dairy Association Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying National Dairy Development Board
Source: LinkedIn – Dairynews7x7
