Health Watch | Synthetic paneer worries: Anything but dairy
Synthetic paneer is raising food safety concerns in India. Here's how analogue paneer differs from dairy paneer, its ingredients and how to test for starch
Photo by Hardik Chhabra
ISSUE DATE: Aug 31, 2026 | UPDATED: Aug 21, 2026 16:53 IST
India’s analogue or synthetic paneer controversy is increasingly becoming a question not just of food labelling, but of what consumers are actually putting on their plates. Unlike paneer, which is made by coagulating milk, analogue paneer replaces some or all dairy components with cheaper non-dairy ingredients.