Guwahati: Food safety officials have warned consumers against buying cheap paneer from hotels and restaurants amid concerns over adulteration and poor quality.Officials said a large quantity of the dairy product consumed in Assam is brought in from outside the state, particularly West Bengal and Delhi. They acknowledged gaps in the identification mechanism, stating that consumers currently have no specific system to help consumers identify adulterated paneer, apart from sending samples to food testing laboratories.The concern comes amid growing scrutiny over the quality of paneer consumed across the state, with nearly 70% of the 60 samples collected for analysis failing to meet the prescribed quality standards. The issue was also raised by state health minister Ashok Singhal on Tuesday.“A considerable portion of the paneer consumed in the state comes from outside Assam, particularly West Bengal, Delhi and more. The use of cheaper alternatives, priced at around Rs 250-300 per kg, and products of questionable quality in commercial establishments has also emerged as a concern,” said Anupam Gogoi, a food analyst at the state public health laboratory.Gogoi said natural paneer is made by curdling pure milk with an acid such as lemon juice or vinegar. It has a soft, off-white texture and crumbles easily. Producing 1kg of natural paneer requires around six litres of milk, with prices starting at Rs 300 depending on the quality.Analogue paneer, on the other hand, is a cheaper substitute made with vegetable oils such as palm oil, starches, milk solids, plant proteins, emulsifiers and stabilisers. It does not rely entirely on milk fat and protein.“Selling analogue paneer as pure milk-based paneer without clearly disclosing its actual composition could amount to consumer misrepresentation and may violate applicable food safety and labelling regulations,” Gogoi said.Food safety officials said inspections were being conducted across the state as part of an ongoing drive. Areas such as Ganeshguri and Paltan Bazar are among those being targeted. They said some paneer samples, which are locally produced, had also been found to be substandard, mainly because of lower-than-prescribed fat content.“Our officials are enforcing measures to ensure that adulterated products are completely removed from the market and to impose a complete ban on the sale of paneer brought in from outside the state. The enforcement drive will continue,” said Anil Sharma, a food safety officer.
