Ludhiana: Over 16% of the dairy samples collected in the district have failed quality tests over the last two years and two months, with paneer emerging as the most adulterated item, health officials said. According to health dept data from Jan 2024 to Feb 2026, 188 out of 1,164 samples were found to be substandard or unsafe.The data reveals that paneer had the highest failure rate at 39.6%, followed by milk at 19%. Other items tested included ghee, curd, khoa, and lassi. Officials noted that a majority of the failed paneer samples were sourced from local dairies.Year-wise figures, however, show a slight improvement in compliance. In 2024, the failure rate stood at 19.1%, which dipped to 16.2% in 2025. In the first two months of 2026, only 7.5% of the 120 samples collected failed the tests.Ludhiana food safety officers stated that while a 10% to 20% failure rate is considered “within the normal range”, strict actions are taken. Vendors found operating in unhygienic conditions face on-the-spot challans, an official added.For substandard food, cases are filed in the court of the additional deputy commissioner (ADC), where penalties can reach up to Rs 5 lakh. If a sample is declared unfit for human consumption, the case moves to the chief judicial magistrate’s court, carrying a potential Rs 10 lakh fine and up to six months in prison.To tackle this, district health officer Dr Ashish Chawla recently announced a special food safety van campaign from April 7 to April 21. The mobile van will provide on-the-spot testing and educate the public on identifying adulteration.Residents, however, have called for even stricter enforcement. One local, Amarjit Kaur, shared that her family suffered from food poisoning after consuming sub-standard paneer, urging the dept to conduct massive-scale checks to protect public health.
