Andhra Pradesh bans non-dairy paneer for one year: manufacture, storage, transport and sale prohibited

The Andhra Pradesh government has banned non-dairy paneer across the state for one year. The order, issued in the name of Commissioner of Food Safety G Veerapandian and published in the state gazette, prohibits the manufacture, storage, transport and sale of the product, known in the trade as analogue paneer.

Analogue paneer looks much like the cottage cheese found in kitchens across the state, but it is made with vegetable fats and oils in place of milk. Officials said the ban is meant to protect public health and to stop buyers from being misled, and the notification makes clear that a non-dairy substitute must not be sold as genuine paneer.

From factory to counter

Because the order reaches every stage of the trade, it applies as much to a unit making the substitute as to a vehicle carrying it or a shop selling it. For the year the ban runs, anything sold as paneer in Andhra Pradesh has to be the dairy product.

The state follows its neighbour. In Telangana, a one-year ban on non-dairy paneer issued under Section 30(2)(a) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 came into force on 10 September 2026. Maharashtra’s one-year prohibition was published in its gazette on 30 July 2026.

A national rule is also in the works. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued a draft amendment, dated 22 September 2026, to its regulations on prohibition and restrictions on sales. Under the draft, products made from ingredients not derived from milk would have to drop the word “paneer” from their names, labels and marketing. The authority is taking objections and suggestions for 60 days from the date of the gazette notification before it decides on a final rule.

Consumers who suspect that paneer they bought or were served is adulterated can complain to the FSSAI on its round-the-clock toll-free helpline, 1800112100, or through the authority’s mobile app and web portal.