The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued notices to several major beverage brands over their use of the term “energy drink” and related functional claims on packaging and marketing.
Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/DaQCMqvj1Q8/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
In a series of Instagram posts on July 1, the regulator named brands including Red Bull, Monster, Reliance Consumer Products’ Campa Energy, Hell Energy, PepsiCo’s Sting and Adrenaline Rush, flagging that they were being marketed and labelled using descriptors such as “energy drink.”
The core issue, according to FSSAI, is that no notified standard currently exists for “energy drink” or similar products under its regulations. The regulator also clarified that its Food Category System exists for classification purposes only, not for product naming or labelling, and stressed that functional or therapeutic claims – phrases like “vitalises body and mind,” “enhances focus,” “boosts energy levels,” or “aids in general weakness” – aren’t permissible for food products under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Each post targeted a different brand but carried identical regulatory language, signalling a category-wide crackdown rather than action against a single player.
The timing is notable. India’s energy drink market has grown increasingly crowded, with global giants like Red Bull and Monster competing against fast-expanding domestic entrants such as Campa Energy and Sting, both leaning heavily on aggressive marketing aimed at younger consumers.
For a category built almost entirely on the promise of an energy “boost,” FSSAI’s notice strikes right at the language brands use to sell that promise.
