FSSAI draft would reserve the word paneer for milk-derived products
The proposed amendment would prevent analogue products from using paneer in their name, label or marketing and opens a 60-day consultation period.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has proposed a draft amendment covering analogue products presented as paneer.
Products licensed or registered in the analogue-in-dairy-context category would have to stop using paneer in their nomenclature, labelling or marketing when their constituents are not derived from milk. FSSAI has invited objections and suggestions for 60 days after public availability of the Gazette notification.
Why it matters
Naming rules shape consumer understanding, food-business labelling, enforcement and competition between dairy products and alternatives with a different composition.
SCULTRA point of view
The proposal should be assessed through consumer clarity, enforceability, transition costs and whether alternative labels communicate composition without creating new confusion.
Limitations
This is a draft, not a final rule. Consultation feedback may change the wording, implementation schedule and compliance obligations.
Source: Press Information Bureau / FSSAI, 24 September 2026.