The statutory ban was enacted under Section 30(2)(a) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, by Kanwalpreet Brar, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Punjab. State authorities confirmed that enforcement teams are launching a dedicated statewide surveillance campaign to inspect manufacturing units, cold stores, wholesale mandis, and retail counters to ensure strict compliance with the mandate.

Analogue paneer is typically formulated by blending non-milk vegetable fats, starches, or emulsifiers with skimmed milk solids to mimic the appearance, mouthfeel, and culinary properties of authentic dairy cottage cheese at a fraction of the cost. While traditional dairy paneer is characterized by its slightly crumbly curd texture and natural fissures, imitation analogue products often appear as uniform, smooth white blocks and are frequently sold without transparent consumer labeling.

The regulatory crackdown in Punjab coincides with intensified anti-adulteration and food safety enforcement drives across northern India ahead of the peak festive demand cycle. In neighboring Delhi, the Food Safety Department recently seized and destroyed over 500 kilograms of spurious paneer during targeted market inspections at the Okhla Sabzi Mandi and lifted dozens of dairy enforcement samples for laboratory verification.