The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued notices to beverage companies, including PepsiCo and Red Bull, over what it described as potentially misleading marketing of certain products as “energy drinks.”
The regulator’s action follows concerns over the use of the term “energy drink” for products despite the absence of any notified standards for such a category under India’s food safety regulations.
PepsiCo, which manufactures Sting and its recently introduced Adrenaline Rush beverage, is among the companies that received the notices. According to FSSAI, both products have been promoted using energy drink claims.
Clarifying its position, the food regulator stated that it has not established any regulatory standards for products classified as “energy drinks” or similar categories.
“The food category system under the FSS Regulations, 2011 is not intended for product naming or labelling purposes,” the regulator said in a social media post.
The notices signal increased regulatory scrutiny of product labelling and marketing practices in the beverages segment, particularly where product descriptions could potentially mislead consumers.
