BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday became the fourth state in the country to ban the production, sale and use of analogue paneer, citing food safety and public health concerns.
Announcing the decision, state Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said, “We’ve decided to ban Analogue Paneer in Madhya Pradesh, keeping in mind concerns in other states, the decision has been made. It has been decided to promote natural milk-fat based Paneer and other dairy products, rather than allowing Analogue Paneer in our state.”
“We have natural milk products here. We will make natural paneer. We will build the state’s identity on the strength of these products. We are moving forward in the direction of increasing milk production. We will not promote activities such as the sale of analogue paneer,” Yadav said.
The decision was taken following discussions with officials from the Food and Civil Supplies Department.
With Wednesday's decision, MP joins three other BJP-ruled states — Maharashtra, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh — that have banned the manufacture, sale and use of analogue paneer.
Chhattisgarh was the first state to ban analogue paneer.
On August 1, the Chhattisgarh government ordered an immediate restriction on the manufacture, sale and use of analogue paneer, cream and butter across markets and eateries.
Four days later, on August 5, Maharashtra imposed a one-year statewide prohibition on the manufacture, processing, storage, distribution and retail sale of non-dairy paneer under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
The same day, neighbouring Gujarat announced a comprehensive statewide ban covering the production, storage, transportation and distribution of analogue paneer, cheese and butter.
Analogue paneer is a paneer-like product that is not made entirely from milk. Instead of relying on milk fat and milk protein, manufacturers can replace some or all of those components with vegetable oil or fat, starch, vegetable protein, emulsifiers and other ingredients.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) defines a dairy “analogue” as a product in which non-milk ingredients replace milk constituents while the finished product resembles a milk product.
The regulatory concern is not simply that the product is non-dairy. FSSAI recognises “analogues in the dairy context” as a category.
The major issue arises when an analogue is sold or served as ordinary “paneer” without clearly informing consumers what it is.
FSSAI stated in April 2026 that selling a cheese analogue as “paneer” is a serious violation and instructed food businesses to use accurate and unambiguous naming.
There can also be nutritional differences: depending on its formulation, an analogue may have a different fat, protein and calorie profile from dairy paneer. A consumer buying paneer for its dairy protein, for example, could unknowingly buy a product with a substantially different composition.