DHAKOLI (SAS NAGAR) — In a bid to curb the distribution of spurious and adulterated dairy products ahead of the peak festive season, the Punjab Health Department’s Food Safety Wing intercepted a pickup truck transporting a commercial consignment of suspected spurious paneer (cottage cheese) in the Dhakoli area.
Food safety officers impounded the shipment, collected representative samples under statutory chain-of-custody protocols, and dispatched them to the State Food Safety Laboratory for comprehensive chemical and microbiological analysis. Authorities confirmed that formal punitive measures under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, will follow once laboratory test results arrive.
Early-Morning Interception and Inspection
Acting on targeted intelligence regarding bulk transit of substandard dairy across district borders, an enforcement squad intercepted the pickup vehicle during transit through Dhakoli.
Upon initial physical screening, officials flagged several irregularities concerning:
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Consignment storage temperatures and transit hygiene
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Lack of requisite batch documentation and traceability
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Visible texture and physical consistency of the paneer blocks
“Our teams acted swiftly on specific inputs regarding commercial movement of suspicious dairy items,” said an inspecting Food Safety Officer on site. “Initial physical checks raised doubts regarding the purity and composition of the consignment. Legal proceedings will depend entirely on the findings of the state testing laboratory.”
Enforcement of the Analogue Paneer Ban
The interception follows the Punjab government’s strict ban prohibiting the manufacture, storage, distribution, and sale of analogue paneer.
| Parameter | Genuine Milk Paneer | Analogue / Synthetic Paneer |
| Primary Fat Source | Natural milk fat (cow/buffalo milk) | Hydrogenated vegetable oil / non-dairy fats |
| Coagulation Base | Heat/acid curdled dairy milk solids | Skimmed milk powder, starches, emulsifiers |
| Market Status | Permitted under standard FSSAI quality benchmarks | Banned statewide under Punjab food safety directives |
| Common Adulterants | None | Industrial starch, detergent, refined palm fat |
Unscrupulous manufacturers frequently exploit surging festive demand by substituting genuine dairy fats with low-cost imitation compounds to maximize profit margins, offloading imitation products to sweet shops, caterers, and roadside dhabas at discounted wholesale rates.
Next Steps and Legal Liability
State authorities have heightened surveillance checkpoints across transit hubs connecting interstate borders, dairy manufacturing clusters, and major urban markets.
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Laboratory Screening: Samples are being analyzed for unauthorized vegetable oils, chemical detergents, urea, starch, and synthetic emulsifiers.
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Statutory Penalties: If the product fails statutory parameters, authorities will register formal cases under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Offenses categorized as “substandard,” “misbranded,” or “unsafe” attract compounding fiscal penalties, vehicle confiscation, and imprisonment for repeat offenders.
Official results from the State Food Testing Laboratory are expected in the coming days.
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