State Orders Zero Tolerance on Dairy Substitutes After Large Seizures

Gandhinagar, August 7 – After a thorough investigation that revealed widespread use of non‑dairy substitutes marketed as cheese and paneer, Gujarat’s government imposed a strict ban on analog dairy products. The Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA) seized 1,705 kg of such items in a coordinated two‑day operation, valuing the batch at about ₹5.28 lakh.

The crackdown was carried out on the instructions of the chief minister, deputy chief minister and health minister. On August 6 and 7, FDCA inspectors stormed 842 commercial premises, confiscating and destroying the adulterated stock.

Key locations included Vadodara, where 471 kg of analog cheese worth roughly ₹1.5 lakh were destroyed; Surat, which disposed of 235 kg valued at more than ₹58,000; and Rajkot, which handled 115 kg with a value above ₹30,000.

Junagadh district recorded the highest single‑day seizure on August 7, eliminating 585 kg of counterfeit dairy analogues worth over ₹2.04 lakh. Additional small‑scale destructions were logged in Surat (27 kg, ₹6,750) and Jamnagar (29 kg, ₹6,500).

Health Minister Prof. Pansariya stressed that the government will not tolerate any adulteration that threatens consumer health. He ordered hotels, restaurants and other food businesses to use only pure, certified dairy products and warned that future FDCA inspections will be intensified across the state.