Given that the majority of Indians are vegetarian, paneer is a cultural mainstay. Its served everywhere: from great Indian functions to dinner at home. Yet, it is at the epicentre at serious health and safety concerns due to adulteration.
According to a recent report by the Punjab Health Department, out of 531 paneer samples tested, 196 failed the quality test, and 59 were declared unsafe for consumption.
In 2024–25, the Food Safety and Drug Administration in Uttar Pradesh analyzed 702 food samples from the Noida and Greater Noida regions only to find that 40% of them failed to meet the quality benchmarks.
Synthetic paneer can have both short and long-term effects. Short-term effects include stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea and skin reactions.
Consuming synthetic paneer can also cause liver and kidney damage and interfere with your endocrine system to cause hormonal disruptions. Repeated exposure to carcinogens via low-quality paneer sources can also increase your risk of cancer.
Multiple adulterants are used to mimic paneer texture
A big chunk of Indian producers use starch and harmful chemicals in production. There are other adulterants as well such as synthetic milk (made using detergents, caustic soda and urea), starch and flour and non-dairy fats to mimic the fatty texture of paneer.
Another often-ignored factor is the quantity of sodium in store-bought paneer
Commercial paneer may contain added salt for flavour and preservation, but homemade versions are naturally low in sodium, unless you add it yourself.
This is why health officials suggest making it at home or buying it from certified sources only. But the process is time-consuming and takes a whole lot of effort (and a lot of milk) which may not be a viable option for everyone.
Are there ways to test paneer quality?
While there are videos of paneer turning blue with iodine or crumbling under pressure on pages of popular influencers, they may not be fundamentally correct.
In fact, it may be easy to miss adulterants like formalin, synthetic milk components and non-dairy fats since they do not always get detected visually.
The best way to go is by the cost, smell and texture. If the cost is too low, it may indicate the use of synthetic paneer. The smell should not have chemical or artificial odor and the texture of paneer should be a soft with a uniform, off-white appearance—not too crumbly, rubbery or overly white.