India’s food safety regulator has refused to ease its directive requiring beverage makers to stop using the term “energy drink” on product labels, despite objections from leading manufacturers, according to media reports.
As per media reports, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recently held a private meeting with executives from PepsiCo, Red Bull, Monster Beverage, Reliance Consumer Products, Hell Energy and other beverage companies to discuss the industry’s concerns over the new labelling rules.
Also read: FSSAI Cracks Down On ‘Energy Drink’ Claims, Issues Notices To Red Bull, Sting & 4 Others
During the meeting, company representatives reportedly urged the regulator to withdraw or reconsider the directive, arguing that the term “energy drink” is globally recognised, complies with international standards and has become integral to their brand positioning. They also cautioned that changing labels would result in additional packaging costs and could create confusion among consumers.
However, according to media sources, FSSAI declined to reverse its decision and informed companies that they would have 90 days to comply with the revised labelling requirements.
The directive requires manufacturers of high-caffeine beverages to discontinue the use of the term “energy drink” and instead classify products under appropriate caffeinated beverage categories.
The development follows heightened regulatory scrutiny of the category. Earlier this month, FSSAI issued notices to several manufacturers, including Red Bull, PepsiCo, Monster, Sting and Hell Energy, over alleged misbranding and misleading claims related to energy drinks.
Despite industry representations during the closed-door meeting, the regulator has decided to proceed with the implementation of the new norms, signalling a stricter approach to product classification and marketing claims in India’s beverage sector, as per reports.
