Ahmedabad: The Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has found that several prominent restaurants and food establishments in the city were serving non-dairy or analogue paneer made from vegetable fat while presenting it as regular milk paneer, without mandatory disclosure to customers.

During a special inspection drive conducted between February 1 and 22, AMC’s food department collected 110 samples of milk and milk products, including paneer, from hotels and restaurants across the city. Laboratory analysis revealed that 10 paneer samples contained high levels of vegetable fat and low milk fat content, rendering them substandard.

The establishments whose samples failed include Barbeque Nation, The Leo Pizza, The Real Paprika, Pizzart, Ubot Hospitality Pvt Ltd, Nutrilicious, Jay Kalyan Fast Food (Thakkarbapanagar), Krishna Aloo Paratha Centre (Navrangpura), Jay Bhavani Bhojanalay (Vejalpur), and Maa Ki Rasoi (Satellite).

Notices were issued to all 10 units, and fines ranging from ₹7,000 to ₹20,000 were imposed. The AMC collected a total penalty of ₹97,000 in connection with the violations.

Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the use of analogue paneer is permitted, but establishments must clearly disclose it on their menus. Passing off vegetable fat-based paneer as milk paneer amounts to misleading consumers and violates food safety norms.

173 kg Paneer Seized from Dairies

Following the lab findings, the civic body traced the supply chain and conducted raids at three dairy units. A total of 173 kg of analogue paneer worth ₹52,880 was seized from R.K. Dairy Products (Sola Road), Vijay Dairy (Vejalpur), and Krishna Dairy (Naroda).

Authorities have informed the district food officer regarding the violations.

Over 1,000 Inspections Across City

As part of a broader enforcement drive, the AMC inspected 1,083 restaurants, hotels, and food units across Ahmedabad within a week. Notices were issued to 492 establishments for various irregularities. The department destroyed 823 kg of inedible solid food and 878 litres of inedible liquids during the operation. Overall, fines amounting to ₹6.72 lakh were collected.

In addition to dairy products, samples of sweets (16), gram flour (45), edible oil (35), iodised salt, and other food items were collected and sent for laboratory testing.

AMC officials said inspection drives will continue in the coming weeks, covering dairy products, cold drinks, snacks, ice cream, bakery items, edible oils, and other food commodities to ensure compliance with food safety standards and protect consumer interests. DeshGujarat