Zomato is facing the flak for selling ‘fake paneer’ to restaurants through its B2B business service, Zomato Hyperpure.
Zomato Faces Backlash Over Sale of ‘Analogue Paneer’ Labeled as Safe for Traditional Dishes
Though the product is clearly labelled as “Analogue Paneer” on the Zomato Hyperpure website, it is marketed as “fit for tikka and gravy paneer dishes” by the manufacturer, which has stirred concerns about food safety.
It was when a X user Sumit Behal, posted about the same on social media platform and raised concerns about Zomato selling analogue paneer to restaurants, highlighting that the restaurants are not adding a disclaimer while selling the dishes that use this fake cheese to customers.
“India loves paneer dishes and restaurants sell fake paneer made with vegetable oils without any disclaimer. They made you believe that you are eating healthy food by eating varieties of paneer dishes over junk food ” he wrote on X. “This is being sold on website of Zomato for restaurants,” the Gurgaon man added.
This led to heavy backlash against the restaurant aggregator and food delivery company’s Zomato Hyperpure for encouraging food adulteration.
But before going any further, lets nail down on what exactly is this “analogue paneer”.
The Cheaper, Riskier Substitute for Traditional Paneer
Also known as fake or synthetic paneer, Analogue Paneer is a substitute for traditional paneer that’s made using cheaper, non-dairy ingredients like vegetable fats, starches etc. unlike real paneer which is made from fresh milk curdled with lemon juice or vinegar.
On Zomato Hyperpure, one listing for analogue paneer states that it is made of “made from Skimmed Milk and Vegetable Oil” and that its “Milk fat is replaced with vegetable fat.”
The restaurants are adopting this version of paneer over the real one for one simple reason, that it is much cheaper.
For a head on head price comparison, 1 kg of analogue paneer on Zomato Hyperpure costs approximately ₹210, whereas the real paneer retails for roughly ₹450 per kg. For restaurants, this translates to greater profits, especially when the usage of same is not revealed.
Paneer is generally consumed due to its protein content. On the other hand, consumption of analogue paneers, which may contain trans fats, can lead to harmful cardiovascular issues, and increase the risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, and inflammation.
Summary
Zomato, is facing the flak of customers and citizens over the sale of “Analogue Paneer” through its B2B service, Hyperpure. Though it is labelled as substitute, what is not revealed is its non-dairy composition, which works in favour of restaurants by drastically reducing the input cost of paneer but on the other hand pose potential issues like risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, and inflammation for those who consume it.
