Ranchi: Food safety officials seized and destroyed around 2 kg of paneer at Morabadi vendor market recently after two samples failed quality checks, bringing the recent scrutiny of dairy products into sharper focus. The action on Friday came as nearly seven in 10 paneer samples tested at the state food laboratory were found to be substandard.The team inspected 40 stalls at the market and tested 22 food samples using a mobile laboratory. Officials said the two failed paneer samples were destroyed on the spot.The latest action follows a series of seizures in Ranchi. On Aug 6, officials seized and destroyed more than 800 kg of suspected adulterated paneer and khowa from a sweet shop on Ratu Road. Samples were sent to the state laboratory for analysis and a show-cause notice was issued to the owner.On Sept 26, a food safety team seized 48 kg of suspected paneer and other food items from a dairy in the Steel Gate area. The dairy was found to have an expired FSSAI licence, while its operator was reportedly absent during the inspection.The state laboratory has tested around 60 paneer samples collected from almost all districts between Sept 20 and Oct. Nearly 40 were statutory samples collected for legal action, while about 20 were surveillance samples taken to monitor food quality.Laboratory analyst Chaturbhuj Meena said most of the failed samples originated in urban areas, including Ranchi. More than six samples collected in Ranchi since Sept 20 were tested, of which five failed. In Dhanbad, one of more than six samples failed.Under food safety standards, paneer must contain no more than 60% moisture, while milk fat must account for at least 50% of its dry matter. Officials also flagged samples suspected to be analogue paneer or contain starch, commonly known as ararot. Such products may involve replacing milk constituents with palm oil, starch or plant proteins.Ranchi food safety officer Pawan Kumar said substandard paneer may not provide the nutritional value consumers expect. State joint food safety commissioner Anuj Prasad said action would depend on the nature of the violation. Inspections will now cover milk, cooking oil and khowa.
