The food safety regulator is considering a nationwide regulation to prohibit analogue paneer, as authorities intensify checks on food products ahead of the festive season, according to a report by Economic Times.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is also working on draft rules to restrict the sale of foods high in fat, sugar and salt within 50 metres of schools nationwide. At the same time, the regulator is pushing quick-commerce and e-commerce platforms to make manufacturing and expiry dates more visible to consumers on their apps.
FSSAI chief executive officer Rajit Punhani said the regulator is preparing a central regulation to ban analogue paneer after eight states introduced prohibitions and several parts of the country witnessed enforcement drives.
Punjab, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are among the states that have prohibited analogue or non-dairy paneer.
The restrictions cover the manufacture, processing, preparation, packaging, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of such products.
The state-level action follows concerns about food products that resemble dairy products but contain little or no dairy ingredients. Analogue paneer may be produced by substituting milk fat or milk solids with vegetable oil, vegetable fat or other non-dairy components.
Commenting on recent enforcement action involving e-commerce and quick-commerce companies in different states, Punhani said the absence of manufacturing and expiry dates on online platforms remains one of the regulator’s major concerns.
"Date of manufacturing and expiry are not mentioned on e-commerce platforms. We are trying to nudge them to put it," Punhani said.
“We have done lots of raids before the festival season,” Rajit Punhani, FSSAI Chief Executive Officer, said, adding that he hopes the crackdown will make this year’s festivities healthier.
FSSAI is also drafting rules aimed at preventing the sale of foods high in fat, salt and sugar in and around schools across India. The proposed measure forms part of the regulator’s Eat Right Campaign, which focuses on improving children’s food choices, the FSSAI chief said.
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has introduced a series of measures prohibiting the sale, advertising and free distribution of junk food within a 50-metre radius of schools across the state.
Delhi has adopted similar restrictions following a court case. Limiting the availability of foods high in fat, salt and sugar around educational institutions is expected to improve the overall food environment for students and complement efforts to promote healthier options inside school campuses.
The food regulator also expects such measures to encourage healthier eating habits among children and help reduce the risk of long-term health problems linked to unhealthy diets.
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