Fake paneer can be very dangerous for health. Eating it can lead to stomach upset, food poisoning, allergies, kidney disease and even cancer.
FSSAI has also told the method to identify fake paneer.
Adulteration of food items is common in India. In the last few years, numerous cases of adulteration in Paneer have come to light. Paneer is consumed in large quantities and hence its demand is high. This is the reason why businessmen do not hesitate at all in making fake Paneer.
FSSAI, the organization that monitors the quality of food items in the country, has seized more than 4000 fake Paneer in raids in different states across the country in the last one week. Such Paneer is dangerous for health and can also cause life-threatening diseases like cancer.
FSSAI often conducts raids against fake paneer and keeps telling the ways to check fake paneer. Let’s know how white poison is being sent to your plate across the country and how to identify fake paneer.
4280 kg fake cheese seized
The Food Safety Department has taken a major action against fake milk and cheese in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. About 700 kg of adulterated cheese and 450 liters of milk were seized and destroyed. Jharkhand Food Safety Department raided Dhanbad and seized 780 kg of adulterated cheese and 80 kg of khoya. Similarly, in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, officials caught a vehicle carrying about 800 kg of cheese under suspicious circumstances. Recently, 2000 kg of fake cheese was seized from UP itself.
Disadvantages of eating fake cheese
Fake cheese is made from adulterated milk to which dangerous substances like baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), vegetable oil or palm oil, refined flour, detergent, coal tar dye, urea and sulphuric acid are added.
Fake cheese seized
Fake cheese can make your belly band look good
Eating fake paneer can cause indigestion and food poisoning. This type of paneer contains high amount of starch which can cause stomach irritation, gas and frequent diarrhea. Paneer made from dirty water may contain dangerous bacteria like E-coli and Salmonella.
Risk of kidney failure
Eating cheese made from urea or synthetic milk can damage the kidneys. Not only this, the chemicals present in such cheese can cause allergic reactions like skin rashes, difficulty in breathing, swelling of lips or throat.
Risk of cancer too
Some adulterators add chemicals like formaldehyde to cheese, which can cause cancer. Eating such cheese for a long time can weaken the immune system.
How to identify fake paneer at home?
There are many ways to do this. According to FSSAI, put the paneer in warm water and add a few drops of iodine tincture to it. If the color turns blue, then starch is mixed in it, which means it is fake. If the color does not change, then the paneer may be real.