Delhi HC seeks Centre, FSSAI’s response on sale of non-dairy products as Paneer

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma issued notice on the plea seeking strict enforcement of food safety laws to prevent dairy analogue products from being passed off as genuine paneer in the national capital.

New Delhi [India], October 14 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought responses from the Centre, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Delhi government on a public interest litigation alleging that non-dairy products are being sold and served as paneer without clearly informing consumers about their actual composition. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma issued notice on the plea seeking strict enforcement of food safety laws to prevent dairy analogue products from being passed off as genuine paneer in the national capital.

Appearing for the petitioners, counsel told the court that customers ordering paneer dishes at hotels and restaurants naturally expect to be served a milk-based product. However, they have no effective way of knowing whether the dish contains genuine paneer or a substitute made from non-dairy ingredients, the counsel argued. “It can be a replicate. It looks and tastes like paneer. There is no disclosure or way of knowing or discovering,” the counsel submitted.

When the bench asked which statutory rights had been violated, the petitioners’ counsel referred to the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011, which prescribe standards for food products and their ingredients. The counsel argued that consumers should be clearly informed when a product being sold or served as paneer is made from ingredients other than milk. The plea also raises concerns over the difference in nutritional composition between genuine paneer and certain non-dairy substitutes.

The petitioners sought interim directions for sampling and inspections during the ongoing Navratri and Dussehra festive period, when the consumption of food products is a particular concern. The public interest litigation seeks directions for effective implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the rules and regulations framed under it in Delhi. It calls for stronger inspections, testing and enforcement to prevent consumers from being misled about the nature of products sold or served as paneer.

The petitioners have also raised concerns over the use of dairy analogues in restaurants, hotels, eateries and other food-service establishments without adequate disclosure of their ingredients. The plea does not seek a blanket ban on all dairy analogue products but seeks action against their alleged misrepresentation as conventional milk-based paneer. (ANI)