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Punjab Paneer Faces Purity Crisis: 47% Fail Quality Tests
14 Dec
Summary
- Nearly half of Punjab's paneer samples failed quality standards in 2024-25.
- Starch and sucrose are common adulterants found in the contaminated paneer.
- Punjab's adulteration rate is higher than neighboring states Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
Recent analyses in Punjab have revealed a significant quality crisis in paneer and other milk products, with a staggering 47% of samples failing to meet required standards in the 2024-25 period. This situation has prompted a public health alert, as common adulterants like starch and sucrose were detected. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has identified paneer as the nation's most adulterated food item.
The data from the Union ministry of health and family welfare indicates that 255 out of 531 analyzed samples did not meet quality benchmarks. Alarmingly, approximately 40% of these failed samples were deemed hazardous due to the presence of toxic adulterants. Punjab's adulteration rate of 47% surpasses that of Haryana (43.8%) and Himachal Pradesh (33.3%).
Authorities are reinforcing the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, through surveillance and random sampling. Mobile food testing vans are also being utilized to screen products. Over the past five years, 145 individuals have been convicted for manufacturing unsafe food products, highlighting the ongoing challenges in ensuring dairy product safety.
