10,000 kg adulterated paneer, 5,000 kg fake khoya seized in massive Pune crackdown
Maharashtra food safety authorities have seized around 10,000 kg of suspected adulterated paneer and nearly 5,000 kg of suspected fake khoya after a raid as a food safety crackdown continues in Maharashtra.
According to preliminary information, the supplier is believed to have been involved in delivering the adulterated products on a large scale across Maharashtra. The seized material is suspected to have been brought from Karnataka, officials said.
FDA officials are currently collecting samples from the seized stock at the spot for testing. Further action will be decided after the samples are tested and laboratory reports are received, Joint Commissioner Digambar Bhogawade confirmed.
The operation comes amid an intensified crackdown by the Maharashtra FDA under Food Safety Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe on adulterated and non-dairy dairy products across the state.
Last month, Maharashtra completely banned the manufacture and sale of analogue or non-dairy paneer. Under the order, major activities involving such products, including their manufacture, processing, packing, storage, transportation, wholesale and retail sale, distribution and offering for sale, have been prohibited across the state.
According to the ban order issued by Mundhe, violations can attract imprisonment of up to six months and a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh, depending on the severity of the offence, under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
The law also provides for stringent punishment in cases where consumption of unsafe food results in death, including life imprisonment and a minimum fine of Rs 10 lakh.
The Maharashtra FDA has also warned that selling analogue paneer as genuine dairy paneer would amount to misleading consumers and constitute an unfair trade practice under food safety law. It said strict legal action would be initiated against individuals or establishments found indulging in such practices.
Analogue paneer is typically made using vegetable fats or oils and other non-dairy ingredients as substitutes for milk fat. Such products may resemble traditional paneer, but authorities have raised concerns about their sale as genuine dairy products without proper disclosure to consumers.
Under Food Safety and Standards Authority of India regulations, paneer must be made from milk, with no added starch, non-dairy fats or synthetic elements. The FSSAI permits the sale of analogue paneer only when it is strictly disclosed and correctly labelled.
In one major raid at a godown in Pune’s Manjari Khurd earlier, authorities had busted a fake paneer racket and seized around 1,400 kg of the product. Officials said the paneer was being manufactured using cheaper substitutes.
The raiding team had also confiscated 1,800 kg of skimmed milk powder, 400 kg of glycerol monostearate (GMS) powder and 718 litres of palm oil, besides other materials allegedly being used to manufacture fake dairy products.- EndsPublished By: Ajmal Published On: Sep 11, 2026 13:02 IST
