FSSAI gives beverage firms 90 days to drop ‘energy drink’ branding
FSSAI has directed six beverage companies, including PepsiCo, Reliance Consumer Products, Red Bull and Monster, to remove ‘energy drink’ branding and prohibited functional claims from packs within 90 days, citing the absence of a notified category standard.
What happened
FSSAI has given six beverage brands, including PepsiCo, Reliance Consumer Products, Red Bull and Monster, 90 days to remove 'energy drink' branding and
Key facts
- 90 days
- six beverage firms
- July 1
- FSS Act 2006
Why this matters
Acquirers and strategic partners should reassess beverage targets’ labeling exposure, claim substantiation and dependence on energy-drink positioning before pricing deals.
What to watch
- Whether FSSAI publishes a draft standard or clarification defining permissible terminology for high-caffeine beverages.
- Requests for deadline extensions, legal challenges or formal representations from PepsiCo, Reliance Consumer Products, Red Bull, Monster and other affected companies.
- State-level inspections, marketplace takedowns or import holds after the 90-day period.
- Evidence of reformulation, especially lower-caffeine variants, new warning labels or repositioning as carbonated/fruit-based/caffeinated beverages.
- Changes in retail velocity after packs lose 'energy drink' cues, particularly among first-time and impulse buyers.
- Any expansion of enforcement to influencer content, sports sponsorships, e-commerce search terms and dark-store catalogues.
- Redesign front-of-pack language, product descriptions, digital listings and point-of-sale material before the 90-day deadline.
- Shift campaigns from functional-performance claims toward taste, refreshment, culture, gaming, music, sports sponsorship and zero-sugar propositions.
- Audit caffeine, taurine, vitamin and botanical claims across energy drinks, shots, mixers and adjacent functional beverages.
- Coordinate through industry associations to seek a notified beverage category, clear permissible claims and a transition rule for old inventory.
- Retailers and quick-commerce platforms should flag affected SKUs, request compliance declarations and prepare listing-copy changes.
- Smaller brands should expect higher packaging and legal-compliance costs, creating acquisition or distributor-consolidation opportunities for scaled players.