Hyderabad, June 18 (Maxim News): The Hyderabad Commissioner’s Task Force has uncovered large scale paneer adulteration and food safety violations across the city, seizing around 825 kilograms of suspected adulterated and misbranded products during a series of inspections conducted at retail outlets and manufacturing units.
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Speaking to the media on Thursday, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Commissioner’s Task Force, Vaibhav Gaikwad Raghunath, said authorities found that Cheese Analogue products made from vegetable fats and non milk ingredients were being sold as paneer, malai paneer and milk paneer without proper declaration, misleading consumers and violating food safety regulations.
According to officials, several Food Business Operators procured Cheese Analogue products from manufacturers and suppliers in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh and sold them as paneer under misleading labels. In many cases, the products were marketed as low fat paneer, medium fat paneer or fresh paneer. Authorities also found products being sold without manufacturing details, batch numbers or expiry dates.
Investigators revealed that some retailers unknowingly ordered paneer but received Cheese Analogue as a substitute. Manufacturers reportedly supplied the products with labels clearly mentioning Cheese Analogue and disclaimers stating that the products contained no dairy fat. However, retailers allegedly removed or ignored these declarations and sold them as paneer to increase profits.
During raids conducted on Wednesday, officials inspected around 45 retail outlets and eight manufacturing units across Hyderabad. The operation resulted in the seizure of approximately 825 kilograms of suspected adulterated and misbranded food products.
Authorities also detected several manufacturers and shop owners operating without valid Food Safety and Standards Authority of India licences. In some instances, Cheese Analogue products were repackaged and sold as premium paneer without proper declarations, traceability or regulatory approvals.
The inspections further revealed adulteration practices such as the addition of starch, excess water, non milk fats and the use of poor quality or synthetic milk. Officials also found instances of non food grade substances being used in production, along with unhygienic storage conditions and violations of mandatory labelling requirements.
Officials warned that consumption of such products could pose serious health risks, including food poisoning, allergic reactions and exposure to inferior quality food items.
The Task Force said strict enforcement drives will continue across the city and samples collected during the inspections have been sent for laboratory analysis. Authorities warned that manufacturers, distributors and retailers found violating food safety norms would face stringent legal action.
The public has been advised to purchase paneer only from licensed vendors, verify labels and expiry dates before purchase and avoid loose or unlabelled products. Authorities also urged citizens to report any suspected food safety violations. (Maxim News)
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