FSSAI Orders To Drop "Energy Drink" Term: RedBull, Sting & Others Given 90 Days Notice

India's food safety regulator has told some of the world's biggest beverage makers to stop calling their high-caffeine drinks "energy drinks," rejecting industry pleas for a softer, more consultative approach to the change.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said earlier this month that no Indian standard exists for products marketed as "energy drinks." It also flagged that claims like "vitalises body and mind" or "helps in general weakness," commonly printed on such labels, could mislead consumers who buy these drinks believing they offer genuine health or performance benefits.

FSSAI has reportedly instructed companies including Pepsi, Red Bull, Monster Beverage, Reliance and Hell Energy to drop the words "energy drink," and any similar phrasing, from their packaging altogether.

Matters came to a head at a closed-door meeting between FSSAI and industry representatives. FSSAI Chief Executive Rajit Punhani reportedly brushed aside concerns that the change could hurt sales, telling companies they were free to move court if they disagreed. A government source told that the companies eventually agreed to comply, and have now been given a 90-day window to update their product labels.

The pushback from industry had been building for weeks. The Indian Beverage Association, which represents several major players in the sector, wrote to FSSAI on July 6, arguing that making such notices public could damage company reputations, disrupt operations and confuse consumers already familiar with existing branding. The association asked the regulator to adopt a more calibrated, risk-based approach and to hold regular consultations with industry before rolling out major regulatory shifts. It maintained, however, that its members remain committed to following government rules and working with regulators on science-based policy.

The stakes for the industry are considerable. India's energy drinks market has expanded rapidly since Pepsi launched Sting in 2017, an affordably priced drink that found strong demand among teenagers and in rural markets. According to Euromonitor, the segment is projected to grow annually by 12.6 per cent and reach 1.6 billion US dollars by 2028, with sales volumes having nearly doubled every year between 2018 and 2023. Much of that growth has been fuelled by marketing built around promises of instant energy, from Red Bull's slogan claiming the drink "gives you wings" to Sting's advertisements depicting jolts of electric energy coursing through the body.

Some consumers say they turn to these drinks specifically to keep working through daily fatigue, with a few admitting they now feel dependent on them, a pattern that has drawn scrutiny beyond India as well. England is set to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to those under 16 from next April, while certain beverages in Pakistan are already required to carry "stimulant drink" labelling rather than "energy drink."

The crackdown in India has already moved from paperwork to the shop floor. In Rajasthan, authorities have seized thousands of bottles of Sting, Campa Energy and Red Bull as part of an ongoing enforcement drive. On July 8, the state government also directed e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms, including Amazon, Flipkart, Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart, to ensure that these beverages were not marketed or promoted as "energy drinks" on their platforms. The companies did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.

The energy drink notice is not an isolated move. FSSAI has in recent weeks sent similar labelling notices to companies across categories, questioning terms such as "100 per cent natural" and "premium," part of a broader push to tighten how packaged food products describe themselves.

For now, companies have three months on the clock to rework labels that have defined their branding for years, even as they press regulators for a more consultative process going forward. Whether "energy" survives in any form on Indian shelves remains to be seen.

Inputs from India Today