Won't ease ‘energy drink’ label 90-day deadline — FSSAI says companies should ‘be happy not prosecuting…’: Report

Published 7 August 2026 · india

The food safety regulator FSSAI said it will not extend the 90-day deadline to drop “energy drink” labels to one year, as demanded by global

The food safety regulator FSSAI said it will not extend the 90-day deadline to drop “energy drink” labels to one year, as demanded by global beverage companies, a government source told Reuters — “Should be happy they're not getting prosecuted”. This comes as PepsiCo, Red Bull, Monster Beverage and Mukesh Ambani's Reliance oppose the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India's strict enforcement actions over how alcohol, beverage and food companies label their products. In July, the FSSAI privately gave the companies 90 days to drop “energy drink” or any similar description from high-caffeine beverages, saying there were no Indian standards for such products and that using that term breached regulations. However, according to a Reuters report citing industry sources, the drinks companies have sought at least one year to implement the decision, since they have millions of cans or bottles in the market, or have pending orders for imported cans.

‘No extension’ A government source told Reuters that the FSSAI has no plans to agree to a deadline extension because many states have conveyed that existing stocks of such drinks can be sold out in 60-90 days. "The companies have breached regulations by labelling them energy drinks; they should be happy (India) is not prosecuting them," the government official said. “They have not told FSSAI how much inventory is lying in which state, which they are supposed to track to ensure traceability,” the official said. To which the industry sources told Retures that tallying stock across states was hard given the huge volumes. Also Read | Why food labelling is under the FSSAI scanner State seizures worry BevCos The beverage giants are also pleading with the Centre to halt seizures of energy drinks by some state governments, the industry sources told Reuters.

Last month, Rajasthan seized thousands of Pepsi's Sting, Reliance's Campa Energy and Red Bull as part of its enforcement drive. In a statement to Reuters, the food safety office of the federally administered territory of Ladakh said it will be seizing stock. “Seizure action is an explicit part of the district-level inspection drive already underway,” said the office, adding that beverages at retailers and distributors were being checked for labelling. Industry executives from PepsiCo, Red Bull and Monster took their concerns about energy drinks labelling to Food Processing Minister Chirag Paswan on Tuesday, seeking his support, industry sources told Reuters. The ministry is committed to promoting "investment, innovation, and job creation" in the sector, Paswan wrote on X without elaborating. Energy drink boom in India Energy drinks have sparked health concerns among some regulators globally, who worry they contain high levels of caffeine, sugar, and taurine, an amino acid.