Gujarat intensifies ban on analogue dairy products; 134 units inspected statewide

Gandhinagar, Aug 6 (AHN) Gujarat's Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA) inspected 134 food business establishments across the state and collected 29 samples as part of its enforcement drive against prohibited analogue dairy products on Thursday, while 1,053 kg of suspected products worth more than Rs 2.82 lakh were destroyed.

The action follows the state government's decision to impose an immediate statewide ban on the production, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of unstandardised analogue paneer, cheese and butter under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

The prohibition was announced after laboratory testing and inspections found products resembling dairy items being made with vegetable oils and other non-dairy ingredients instead of milk fat, raising concerns over consumer deception and food safety.

The state government said the ban covers analogue dairy products that imitate paneer, cheese and butter but use vegetable oils or other non-dairy substances in place of milk fat.

Standardised products such as frozen desserts, processed cheese and mixed-fat spreads are exempt.

The government has warned that manufacturers, traders, hotels, restaurants, caterers and other food business operators violating the prohibition will face legal action under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

Health Minister Praful Pansheriya said: "The decision followed months of enforcement action by the FDCA against analogue dairy products across Gujarat."

In Ahmedabad, the Municipal Corporation's Health Food Department said it has intensified inspections of establishments involved in the paneer trade following the state government's order.

The department said it collected 218 paneer samples during the past six months, of which 57 were declared substandard.

Among these, 23 samples were found to be analogue paneer, while 34 samples contained milk fat above or below the prescribed standards.

Cases have been filed before the Adjudicating Officer under Sections 51 and 52 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with penalties of up to Rs five lakh applicable in such cases.

The corporation also said 22 paneer samples were collected on Thursday and sent to the Public Health Laboratory for analysis.

It warned that any establishment found manufacturing, storing, transporting, distributing or selling analogue products, or compromising public health, could face sealing of premises, cancellation of licences and prosecution under the Food Safety and Standards Act and the Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporations Act.

In Rajkot, the Municipal Corporation's Health Branch inspected Fortune Milk and Food Products at Lati Plot and collected three samples comprising analogue cheese, low-fat protein paneer and Purica brand paneer.

The establishment was also issued a notice directing it to maintain hygienic conditions and proper storage practices.

The Gujarat government's latest action follows earlier enforcement measures against analogue paneer in the state, including mandatory disclosure requirements for eateries serving analogue products, and comes a day after neighbouring Maharashtra announced a similar prohibition on analogue paneer.