The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the Centre and the Delhi government over a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging that non-dairy substitutes are being sold as paneer without consumers being informed about their ingredients.

A bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Nitin W Sambre and Justice Sanjay Singh directed the authorities to submit their responses within six weeks.

The petition, filed by Ridhima Singh and Avlokiteshwar Padmapani Sidharth, raised concerns over the sale of dairy analogue products under the name of paneer, arguing that such substitutes contain non-milk ingredients and do not offer the same nutritional value as traditional paneer.

According to the petitioners, paneer is a standardised dairy product under food safety regulations, while dairy analogues may contain vegetable fats, oils and other non-milk constituents.

They argued that consumers ordering paneer dishes at hotels and restaurants have no way of determining whether the food has been prepared using genuine paneer or a non-dairy alternative.

Citing the ongoing festive season, the petitioners sought immediate intervention from the court, requesting directions to authorities to conduct sampling and testing of paneer and products marketed as paneer.

"They are doing it, they have placed the statistics (before us) to that effect," the bench observed in response.

The PIL also referred to measures taken by Gujarat, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra against non-dairy paneer and sought similar action in Delhi.

The petitioners urged the court to direct authorities to prevent the manufacture, supply, sale and serving of dairy analogue paneer in the national capital.

They also sought mandatory disclosure requirements for hotels, restaurants, caterers, eateries, cloud kitchens and e-commerce food businesses using non-dairy substitutes in their preparations.

"A consumer who knowingly purchases a product correctly disclosed as an analogue or non-dairy substitute makes an informed choice. However, a consumer who purchases or orders 'paneer' is entitled to receive a product which answers the statutory description of paneer and ought not to be unknowingly supplied a product in which essential milk constituents have been substituted by vegetable fat, vegetable oil or other non-milk constituents," the petition said.

The matter concerns the distinction between standardised dairy products and non-dairy alternatives, with the petitioners seeking measures to ensure consumers are informed about the ingredients used in food sold as paneer.

With PTI inputs