FSSAI Gives Pepsi, Red Bull and Others 90 Days to Drop ‘Energy Drink’ Labels
India’s food regulator has directed high-caffeine beverage makers including Pepsi, Red Bull, Monster, Reliance and Hell Energy to stop using the term “energy drink”, citing the absence of category standards and potentially misleading health claims.
What happened
FSSAI has ordered high-caffeine beverage makers, including Pepsi, Red Bull, Monster, Reliance and Hell Energy, to stop using 'energy drink' labels within 90
Key facts
- 90-day compliance window
- India energy-drinks market projected at $1.6 billion by 2028
- 12.6% expected annual retail-sales growth
- Sting launched in India in 2017 at ₹20 per bottle
- Target consumers cited as ages 15 to 19
Why this matters
Any India beverage deal involving high-caffeine products now requires regulatory diligence on label claims, reformulation options and the target’s ability to retain demand under a non-'energy drink' positioning.
What to watch
- FSSAI clarification on the replacement product descriptor that brands may use and whether existing stock receives a sell-through period.
- Notices, fines, import holds, or marketplace delistings after the 90-day deadline.
- Requirements for caffeine limits, per-serving disclosures, pregnancy/child warnings, or restrictions on mixing with alcohol.
- Whether e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms rename or suppress the “energy drinks” navigation category.
- Retailer requests for revised planograms, shelf labels, invoices, or product master data.
- Changes in advertising copy by Pepsi, Red Bull, Monster, Reliance, Hell Energy, and domestic challengers.
- A formal consultation on creating standards for high-caffeine beverages or functional drinks.
- Sales velocity changes in urban convenience, gyms, nightlife, and quick-commerce channels during relabeling.
- Audit every India-facing SKU, import label, multipack, shelf talker, e-commerce image, social asset, and retailer product taxonomy for use of “energy drink” or implied therapeutic-performance claims.
- Prepare compliant interim nomenclature and front-of-pack architecture that preserves brand recognition without relying on the prohibited category term.
- Rework retailer and quick-commerce search metadata because removal of the category term may reduce discoverability and alter digital shelf ranking.
- Use the transition to strengthen permitted occasion-led messaging such as taste, refreshment, sports culture, or caffeine disclosure rather than broad vitality claims.
- Build separate India packaging runs and inventory depletion plans to avoid stranded stock after the 90-day deadline.
- Monitor whether competitors reduce promotional intensity; use compliant trade investment to secure refrigerator doors, checkout placement, and convenience-store visibility during the reset.
- Engage FSSAI and industry bodies on a future category framework, especially caffeine thresholds, serving-size rules, mandatory warnings, and marketing restrictions.