What Is Analogue Paneer? Why States Are Banning It and What Consumers Need to Know

Paneer is one of the most popular and widely used ingredients in India. However, recently there has been a new development: a cheaper version of this product, which is now referred to as analogue paneer, became subject to various investigations and legal actions by the authorities. Unlike the regular paneer, which is traditionally produced from dairy products, this type of paneer is mostly produced from non-dairy foods such as vegetable fats, plant proteins, starch, stabilizers and food additives.

Various states including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh are taking measures against the products which are supposedly sold or marketed as dairy paneer. This problem has raised several interesting questions regarding labeling practices, consumer awareness, nutrition and food safety issues.

What is an analogue paneer, why do the authorities consider this product illegal and how can the consumers distinguish analogue paneer from the real product?

What is Analogue Paneer?

Analogue paneer is a product made from non-dairy or partially non-dairy components in order to create an imitation of conventional paneer in its appearance, structure and cooking properties. This product can be made relatively cheaply due to the possibility to use less expensive substitutes of expensive dairy fat and dairy proteins.

Regular paneer is usually made primarily from milk. It is usually produced by curdling heated milk with the help of acidifying agents such as lemon juice and vinegar. It contains natural nutrients such as protein and calcium.

Analogue products can include vegetable oils or fats, soy or pea proteins, modified starches, stabilizers and texturizers. Of course, such products are not necessarily illegal simply because they are non-dairy.

Why Do Some States Ban Analogue Paneer?

The current wave of regulations and bans is related to issues of mislabeling, adulteration, and food safety compliance. Apparently, food control bodies carried out inspections and sampling activities at production, storage, and distribution premises.

First of all, there are fears that some brands might use less expensive vegetable fats instead of dairy fat without specifying that in their labelling, thereby making false advertising of “paneer”.

In addition, there were reports about lack of adequate purchase invoices, batch numbers, and other records, which are important for tracing the origin of food products and reacting to safety problems.

Therefore, the current regulatory actions are not only about existence of analogue products, but about their production, labeling, marketing, and sale.

Analogue Paneer vs. Genuine Paneer

The main distinction is the ingredients.

Feature	Genuine Paneer	Analogue Paneer
Base	Milk	Non-dairy/plant-based ingredients are possible
Dairy fat	Present	May be partially or entirely substituted with vegetable fat
Protein	Consists mainly of milk protein	Usually includes soy/pea proteins
Texture	Soft and crumbly	More firm or elastic
Nutritional value	Contains naturally protein and calcium	Depends greatly on recipe
Labelling	Naming of the dairy product	Cannot be presented as dairy paneer

It is worth remembering that appearance does not help to establish whether or not a product is an authentic paneer.

What Are the Health Concerns?

The nutritional composition of analogue paneer may vary depending on the way it is produced. A product with large amounts of some vegetable fats, starches or additives may contain a completely different nutritional composition compared to the conventional paneer made from the milk.

Moreover, some formulations of the product may include hydrogenated or saturated fats which may negatively affect the health of the consumer as the excessive consumption of such fats is detrimental for cardiovascular system.

Furthermore, the analogue paneer may have a lower level of calcium or proteins compared to the conventional paneer. Thus, consumers should not consider that all products called or advertised as paneer contain similar amount of nutrients.

How Can Consumers Identify Paneer Substitutes?

In order to avoid purchasing misleading products, consumers can pay special attention to packaging, especially the label of ingredients. If some vegetable oils, soy or pea protein, modified starches or stabilisers are used instead of milk, this may indicate that the product is analogue paneer.

Price is another factor that can help in identifying the analogue paneer. The product that is significantly cheaper compared to the paneer made from the milk may need careful examination of ingredients and labelling.

The texture of the product may help in identifying some analogue products. For example, the traditional paneer is soft and breaks easily, while some analogue products are rubbery and elastic. Nevertheless, the texture can not be a sufficient indicator.

Importance of Labeling

First of all, the primary problem associated with the production and consumption of analogue paneer is related to the consumer’s rights and is associated with transparency. The products can be used for certain needs, which may be helpful for food manufacturers, but consumers have the right to know what they are buying.

In no case, a restaurant or any other business, producing meals with the use of non-dairy substitute of milk, must create an impression that the product is actually milk paneer. Such transparency allows customers to make well-informed decisions due to their individual needs.

Moreover, in terms of the regulator, labeling and documentation is extremely important since the latter can be easily identified and punished in case of any food-safety violations.

Consequences of Crackdown on Restaurants and Food Business

This problem is not only limited by the manufacturer of paneer products. Hotels, restaurants, food stalls, caterers, suppliers, who buy or use paneer products, are at risk to be investigated as well.

The first thing, which should be done by such businesses, is to ensure the supplier to give appropriate documentation of the products purchased. Keeping invoices and batch numbers can help in identifying the origin of the product.

Moreover, this problem also shows the necessity to describe dishes in menus correctly.