Red Bull, Campa, Monster and other beverage cos get notices over 'energy drink' claims

Synopsis

India's food regulator, FSSAI, has cracked down on major beverage brands like Red Bull and Monster, issuing notices for using the 'energy drink' label and making health-related claims. The authority states that no such category is recognized under current food safety laws. Companies are warned against promotional statements about boosting energy or focus, as these functional claims are not permitted for food products, aiming to prevent misleading branding.

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Our Bureau

New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued notices to several beverage companies over the use of the term 'energy drink' and health-related claims on product labels, saying the existing food safety regulations do not recognise such a category.

In a statement posted on its official social media handles, the regulator said it had served notices to Red Bull, Hell Energy, Campa Energy Drink, Monster Energy, PepsiCo India's Adrenaline Rush and Sting over alleged violations related to product naming and labelling.

FSSAI said no standard has been prescribed for 'energy drinks' under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, or the regulations framed under it. It added that the Food Category System under the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, is meant only for regulatory classification and cannot be used as the basis for product names or label descriptions.

The regulator also objected to promotional claims such as boosting energy, improving focus, stimulating the mind, revitalising the body or helping overcome general weakness, saying such functional or therapeutic claims are not permitted for food products under the current regulatory framework.

According to FSSAI, the companies marketed their products as energy drinks while making claims that are not allowed under the food safety regulations.

The action is part of the regulator's broader drive to curb misleading branding and ensure compliance with food labelling norms.

Last month, FSSAI issued similar notices to several food business operators over allegedly misleading brand names, product claims and labelling practices, directing them to take corrective action.