Paneer’s Hidden Cost: Cruelty to Cows and Buffalo
If you love an authentic lentil dahl, you’ve likely seen paneer on an Indian restaurant menu, but what is it?
Paneer is a soft cheese made from cow’s or buffalo’s milk, or a combination of the two. It’s not aged, but curdled using an acidic ingredient, such as lemon juice.
While often seen on vegetarian menus, paneer is far from harmless for animals. Like anything made of a cow’s mammary secretions, paneer is a product of the immense suffering of the cows and buffalo.
Here are five reasons why you should steer clear of paneer.
Mothers Forcibly Impregnated for Paneer
Like humans and all mammals, cows and buffalo make milk for their babies. To ensure a constant supply of milk for products like paneer, dairy farmers forcibly impregnate female cows by restraining them, and inserting their arm and a syringe into their body. Once the calves are born and the mothers are lactating, farmers then steal and sell the milk meant for their babies.
Like all animals, cows are clever and sensitive. They form strong family and friendship bonds and communicate with their loved ones. However, this is ignored on dairy farms, where they’re treated like mere milk machines, trapped in a painful cycle of artificial insemination, pregnancy and loss that continues until the mothers are sent to slaughter. All this misery for a block of paneer.
Babies Taken From Their Mothers
If allowed to do so, mother cows and their babies form strong bonds, with calves suckling for up to a year (9 months for buffalo). However, in the dairy industry, their babies are taken away, often within days of birth, so that their milk can be used to make paneer and other dairy products.
Mothers often wail for days when their babies are taken, desperately searching for the children they will never see again. No curry or sandwich is worth this nightmare.
Dairy Is a Slaughter Industry
Cows and buffalo have a natural lifespan of up to 20 years, but death stalks them at every turn in the dairy industry.
Male babies, unable to make milk, are considered “useless” and are usually sold for slaughter, often turning up on someone’s plate as veal.
Female babies will also be quickly killed, or follow in their mothers’ sad footsteps – forced into the same cycle of exploitation to produce milk for paneer.
When cows’ milk production naturally wanes (at around 6 years old) they’re considered no longer commercially viable and are sent to the slaughterhouse where their throats are slit.
Farming Cows and Buffalo for Paneer Is Killing the Planet
Like all ruminant animals, cows and buffalo used for dairy belch out enormous amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas up to 80 times as potent as CO2 in terms of warming potential over a 20-year timespan. Like the meat industry, dairy farming also drives air and water pollution, biodiversity loss, and deforestation.
Dairy is also a thirsty industry – each cow used for milk to make paneer needs up to 155 litres of water daily, and 1.6 million of them are exploited in the UK.
Animal-free, plant-based dairy products have lower carbon footprints and uses less water and land to produce. Experts estimate that, if the world went vegan, we could cut food related greenhouse emissions by 70%.
Paneer Is a Junk Food
Paneer is made from the milk of cows and buffalo, which was never meant for humans.
Acne, asthma, digestive issues, brain fog, increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, sinus issues and even some cancers have all been linked to dairy consumption. Cow’s milk is a common allergen.
Besides, do you really want to consume a cocktail of cholesterol, saturated fat, and pus designed to help a calf grow into a 1000-pound buffalo?
There are loads of healthy animal-free foods that are high in calcium, like leafy greens and tofu, and plenty of protein-rich options, too, like lentils, beans, and grains.
Every Curry Is a Chance to Help Animals!
Tofu is a brilliant swap for paneer in curries and sandwiches. It mimics paneer’s texture but is lower in calories and fat, contains no cholesterol, and is a good source of protein, iron, and calcium. It’s also safe for those who are lactose-intolerant – what’s not to love?
And if you are craving cheese – UK supermarkets are brimming with animal-friendly, dairy-free, and delicious vegan cheeses that don’t harm cows.
Cows Need Your Help
No matter who the dairy comes from, if she’s not your mum, it’s not your milk!
Every time we choose dairy, we support an industry built on forced impregnation, family separation, and slaughter. But every time we choose vegan, we stand up for mothers and babies who deserve better.
Please, take the first step toward compassionate living. Order your free Vegan Starter Kit today for cruelty-free tips, recipes, and shopping guides:
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