New Delhi: In an attempt to curb food adulteration and misrepresentation, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed all States and Union Territories (UTs) to intensify surveillance on dairy analogues throughout March, coinciding with the ongoing festive season. However, the rampant sale of fake paneer—often made using substandard vegetable oils and chemicals—continues unchecked, raising serious concerns about the effectiveness of regulatory oversight.
Despite multiple warnings and widespread public concern, especially on social media platforms where influencers and food experts have repeatedly exposed the menace of counterfeit dairy products, the enforcement agencies have failed to take decisive action. The unchecked sale of fake paneer and adulterated dairy products not only misleads consumers but also poses significant health risks.
What Are Dairy Analogues?
According to the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, Dairy Analogues are products in which non-milk constituents replace milk components partially or entirely, while still resembling milk or milk products in appearance, texture, and functionality. However, these substitutes are not legally considered milk, milk products, or composite milk products.
When standardized dairy items are compositionally altered by replacing key milk components—such as milk fat or protein—with vegetable oil, fat, or plant-based proteins, the resulting product is classified as a Dairy Analogue.
FSSAI’s Directive: Too Little, Too Late?
“The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed all States and Union Territories (UTs) to step up surveillance on Dairy Analogues throughout March, keeping in view the ongoing festive season,” FSSAI said in a statement on Tuesday.
This measure aims to prevent food adulteration, mislabelling, and consumer deception during a period of heightened demand. However, critics argue that such temporary surveillance drives are insufficient to combat the deep-rooted problem of dairy adulteration.
FSSAI’s latest move is part of its ongoing monthly product-specific surveillance drives, aimed at tackling food adulteration and ensuring compliance with food safety standards. The agency has particularly stressed the need for stricter checks on dairy product composition and labelling to ensure that consumers are not misled by counterfeit or misrepresented products.
Regulatory Failure: Fake Paneer Continues to Flood the Market
Despite these efforts, the widespread availability of fake paneer in local markets, restaurants, and even branded outlets remains a major concern. In numerous instances, social media influencers, consumer activists, and food experts have raised alarms about adulterated paneer and dairy analogues being sold as real dairy products. Videos exposing the use of harmful chemicals, starch, and synthetic fats in fake paneer have gone viral, yet authorities have failed to take sustained action.
Fake paneer, which lacks essential dairy proteins and nutrients, not only deceives consumers but also poses severe health risks, including digestive disorders, toxicity, and long-term health complications. Yet, the response from food safety regulators has largely been reactive rather than proactive, with sporadic raids and temporary crackdowns instead of consistent monitoring.
Consumer Deception and the Need for Stringent Regulations
The misrepresentation of dairy analogues as real dairy products remains a grey area in food regulation. Many consumers, unaware of the differences, continue to purchase such products under the assumption that they are made from pure milk.
FSSAI’s directive for stricter testing and enforcement is a step in the right direction, but without sustained monitoring, hefty penalties, and widespread consumer awareness campaigns, the problem of adulteration and misrepresentation is unlikely to be resolved.
Conclusion: Stronger Enforcement Needed
While the FSSAI’s initiative to intensify checks on Dairy Analogues is commendable, it does little to address the larger, ongoing crisis of fake paneer flooding the market. Without year-round enforcement, real-time consumer protection measures, and stringent penalties for offenders, the menace of dairy adulteration will continue to thrive.
Authorities must recognize that sporadic drives are not enough—India needs an aggressive, technology-driven, and transparent approach to food safety, one that goes beyond temporary surveillance during festive seasons. Until then, consumers remain vulnerable to health risks posed by fake and adulterated dairy products.
