Ahmedabad: Terming analogue paneer a health hazard, members of Ahmedabad’s medical fraternity welcomed the ban and urged people to be more aware. Dr Jignesh Shah, president of the Ahmedabad Medical Association (AMA), said that he welcomes Gujarat govt’s decision that will ensure that consumers get real paneer and are not misled.“Real paneer is a valuable source of high-quality protein and calcium. While properly manufactured analogue paneer is not necessarily unsafe, selling it as milk paneer without disclosure is unfair to consumers. Strong enforcement of food quality standards and transparent labelling are important steps toward protecting public health,” he said.Shruti Bhardwaj, chief clinical nutritionist at Zydus Hospital, said that analogue paneer is a product made from palm oil, emulsifiers and chemicals. “As it is made using starch flour, it has a high glycaemic index and carries the threat of spiking cholesterol levels and causing digestive and metabolic issues. One can test if the uncooked paneer is fake by using iodine to detect the starch. Labelling must be done according to FSSAI guidelines,” she said.Experts also pointed out that FSSAI has regulatory guidelines with specific requirements on moisture content, fixed milk fat percentage and permissible additives such as citric acid and lactic acid.
