FSSAI proposes restricting ‘paneer’ label to dairy products
FSSAI has proposed barring analogue and non-dairy products from using “paneer” in names, labels or marketing, a move that could affect nationwide manufacturing, sale and distribution. Objections and suggestions will be invited for 60 days after Gazette notification.
What happened
FSSAI has proposed reserving the term 'paneer' for dairy products, barring analogue and non-dairy makers from using it in names, labels or marketing. The draft
Key facts
- 60 days
- 8 states: Punjab, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand
Why this matters
Food retailers and platforms should reassess partnerships with analogue-paneer brands, prioritizing targets with adaptable labeling, strong alternative-product positioning and regulatory-readiness capabilities.
What to watch
- Gazette notification date and the precise 60-day consultation language.
- FSSAI definitions for dairy paneer, analogue products, plant-based products and permitted qualifying descriptors.
- Whether restrictions explicitly cover e-commerce titles, metadata, search advertising, restaurant menus and quick-commerce listings.
- Industry submissions from dairy associations, plant-based food brands, marketplaces and packaged-food manufacturers.
- Final compliance date, stock-exhaustion provisions and enforcement or penalty guidance.
- Comparable FSSAI action on terms such as milk, cheese, butter, curd and meat for analogue products.
- Audit all SKUs, seller listings, search keywords and ad copy containing 'paneer' that are not dairy-derived.
- Prepare alternate naming conventions such as 'plant-based cubes,' 'dairy-free protein cubes' or 'analogue cheese cubes,' subject to final FSSAI guidance.
- Require suppliers and marketplace sellers to provide ingredient, milk-content and product-category declarations.
- Build catalog rules to distinguish dairy paneer from analogue, imitation and plant-based products in search, filters and recommendation engines.
- Plan inventory and packaging transition windows to avoid delisting, mislabeling penalties and consumer confusion.