‘Analog’ or synthetic paneer has been banned in Maharashtra for a year. The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday prohibited the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of non-dairy paneer across the state. It doesn’t just go off the shelves but also from menus, as the food safety regulator has directed hotels, restaurants, caterers and cloud kitchens to stop using the non-dairy paneer. The ban on non-dairy paneer was enforced after some samples, tested by the FDA for over a year, failed crucial safety tests. The order, issued by Food Safety Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe under Section 30(2)(a) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and published in the state gazette on July 30, takes effect immediately and will remain in force for one year.