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The Yogi Adityanath government of Uttar Pradesh has taken strict steps to stop playing with the health of citizens during the festive season and on ordinary days. Instructions have been given to the State Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) and related departments to completely stop the illegal trade of ‘analog cheese’, synthetic cream and adulterated vegetable ghee being sold in the name of milk across the state.
In order to make huge profits, analog products containing palm oil, starch and chemicals were being used indiscriminately instead of real milk by wedding functions, hotels, restaurants, dhabas and street food vendors. Considering this as a direct fraud on consumers and a serious threat to health, the government has clarified that if any manufacturer or seller is found violating the rules by selling or serving analog dairy products in the name of genuine dairy products, then strict action will be taken against him under non-bailable sections like case and sealing of the factory.
What is ‘Analog Paneer’ and how is this cheap alternative prepared?
Common consumers often do not understand the difference between paneer and analog paneer in the market. Traditional and authentic cheese is prepared in a natural way by completely curdling the pure milk of cow or buffalo, in which the natural protein and fat of the milk is present.
In contrast, ‘Dairy Analog Paneer’ is not a true dairy product. To make it, instead of milk, cheap vegetable oil (especially refined palm oil or hydrogenated fat), skimmed milk powder (SMP), potato or corn starch, soy protein, emulsifiers and many types of chemical stabilizers are used. All these ingredients are blended in high-speed machines to give the texture, whiteness and sponginess exactly like real cheese. Due to very low production cost, it becomes available in the market at a throwaway price of ₹ 150 to ₹ 200 per kg as compared to real cheese (₹ 350 to ₹ 450 per kg), which is taken advantage of by profiteering traders.
The illusion of analog cream and ghee: Fake goods are prepared from palm oil and essence.
Along with cheese, the sale of analog cream and artificial ghee has also increased rapidly in the market. Non-dairy analog creams used in cake pastries, malai chaap, gravies and sweets are prepared entirely from vegetable oils and concentrated chemicals.
Whereas in the case of ghee, adulterators add artificial ‘ghee flavor’ (essence) and yellow color to substandard vegetable ghee, refined palmolein oil and animal fat and sell it by packing it in attractive containers in the name of pure desi ghee. These adulterated products are not only void of nutrition, but when heated, emit poisonous fumes and trans fats, which hollow out the human body organs from within.
‘Slow poison’ for health: Biggest cause of heart attack, fatty liver and cholesterol
Medical experts and cardiologists have issued serious warnings against regular consumption of analog and synthetic dairy products. When a person continuously consumes cheese or ghee made from such palm oil and hydrogenated fat, the risk of the following life-threatening diseases in his body increases manifold:
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Wild increase in bad cholesterol (LDL): Palm oil and hydrogenated vegetable oils contain high amounts of saturated and trans fats. It deposits plaque in the blood vessels (arteries), which increases the risk of atherosclerosis and sudden heart attack (cardiac arrest).
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Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD): The liver has to work overtime to process chemicals and unhealthy fats, resulting in inflammation of the liver and grade 2 and 3 fatty liver, even in young people.
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Deterioration of the digestive system and intestinal ulcers: The starch and synthetic emulsifiers added for binding in analog cheese damage the inner layer (mucosa) of the intestines, causing severe indigestion, gas, bloating and colitis.
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Insulin resistance and obesity: Excessive trans fats slow down the metabolism, which reduces the effect of insulin in the body and creates the risk of type-2 diabetes and rapid weight gain.
Strict rules of FSSAI: It will be mandatory to write on the menu card, there will be jail for hiding it
As per the guidelines of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), any food item can be sold only with its true nature.
Under the new rules and government orders:
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No restaurant, hotel, dhaba or café can sell dishes made from analog paneer in the name of ‘Paneer Tikka’, ‘Shahi Paneer’ or ‘Matar Paneer’. It will be mandatory for them to write ‘Analog/Non-Dairy Paneer Dish’ in clear letters on their menu cards and display boards.
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Misleading use of the word ‘Paneer’ on packed products is strictly prohibited. It must declare in capital letters on the main body of the packaging that it is a vegetable oil based analog product.
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Under Sections 52 and 59 of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, there is a provision of a fine of ₹ 5 lakh to ₹ 10 lakh and punishment up to life imprisonment on adulterators for misleading the public and selling unsafe food.
How to identify real and analog cheese? 4 easy home tests
If you have bought cheese from the market or are eating in a restaurant, you can immediately detect real and fake cheese with these 4 easy and scientific methods:
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Iodine Tincture Test (Test of Starch): Boil a small piece of cheese in water and let it cool. After this, put 2-3 drops of iodine solution available from the medical store on it. If the color of the cheese turns blue or dark purple, then understand that a large amount of starch (potato/flour/cornflour) has been added to it. The color of real cheese will not change.
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Hand kneading test (Texture test): When you crush real cheese with your hands, it disintegrates into light particles and leaves a milky smoothness on your fingers. When the analog cheese is crushed, it stretches like rubber or plastic, remains elastic or becomes loose like dough.
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Boiling test (rubbery stretch): Boil the paneer pieces in hot water for 5 minutes. If after boiling the paneer starts stretching like chewing gum and its taste becomes dull or bitter, then it is 100% analog paneer. Real cheese becomes more soft and pliable after boiling.
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Arhar Dal Test (Urea and Protein Test): Dissolve one spoon of ground cottage cheese in water and add half spoon of soybean or arhar dal powder to it. After 5 minutes add red litmus paper in it. If the color of litmus paper turns blue, then the cheese may be adulterated with urea or detergent.
Large scale raid in Uttar Pradesh: Task force formed
After the tough stance of the Yogi government, a special food safety checking campaign has been started in all 75 districts of UP. Raids are being conducted on dairy plants, cold storage, wholesale markets and catering warehouses in big cities like Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Meerut, Agra, Ghaziabad and Noida.
Departmental officials have been instructed to conduct preliminary testing of samples on the spot through mobile food testing vans and if adulteration is found, the entire consignment should be immediately destroyed. Along with this, special flying squads have been formed for surprise sampling of raw materials used in dhabas located on the highway and in wedding ceremonies.
How can consumers complain? Vigilance is the best protection
The Food Safety Department has also appealed to the general public not to hesitate in reporting any suspicious dairy product. If you suspect that a shop, sweet center or restaurant is serving fake paneer, cream or ghee, you can lodge a complaint through:
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File complaint with photo and bill directly on Central Government’s FSSAI ‘FoSCoS’ online consumer portal and mobile app.
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Uttar Pradesh Jansunwai Portal (IGRS) or Toll-Free CM Helpline Number 1076 Call and inform.
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Lodge a written or telephonic complaint with the local office of the District Food Safety and Drugs Administration (FSDA).
The aim of this strict initiative of the government is not only to protect the health of crores of citizens of the state, but also to protect the interests of those hardworking milk producing farmers and honest dairy traders, who were facing huge financial losses due to the cheap chemical products of adulterators. The awareness of every citizen will prove to be the biggest strength in this campaign to make the food plate pure and poison-free.