FSSAI flags Red Bull, PepsiCo and four others over energy drink claims
FSSAI said it has not notified any standard for "Energy Drink" or similar products. It said these brands had marketed their products using descriptors such as "energy drink" on product branding and labelling.
- Jul 2, 2026,
- Updated Jul 2, 2026 12:54 PM IST
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has issued notices to six beverage brands, including Red Bull and PepsiCo India, over misbranding and misleading claims linked to products sold as energy drinks. In a post on Instagram on Wednesday, the regulator said it had issued notices to several beverage brands claiming to be energy drinks for misbranding and misleading claims.
The six brands named by the regulator are Red Bull Energy Drink, PepsiCo's Adrenaline Rush Energy Drink, Reliance Consumer Products' Campa Energy Drink-Gold Boost, Sting Energy Drink, Hell Energy and Coca-Cola-backed Monster Energy. Comments could not be obtained immediately from the six brands.
FSSAI said it has not notified any standard for "Energy Drink" or similar products. It said these brands had marketed their products using descriptors such as "energy drink" on product branding and labelling. The regulator also said the Food Category System under the FSS Regulations is not meant for product naming or labelling purposes.
The regulator said functional or therapeutic claims are not allowed for food products under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the rules and regulations framed under it. It said claims including, but not limited to, "vitalizes body and mind", "enhancing focus", "boost energy levels", "aid in general weakness", or similar conditions are not permissible for food products.
The notices to the beverage firms come amid a wider FSSAI crackdown on misbranding, misleading claims and advertisements by food business operators, including cases taken up on the basis of consumer complaints.
Crackdown on other companies
In recent months, the regulator has informed consumers about such notices through social media platforms such as X and Instagram as part of its food safety efforts. The broader action has covered more than 14 food business operators over issues including deceptive trade names, uncertified organic tags and front-of-pack claims that did not match ingredient declarations.
Among the brands flagged were SAJ Food Products for claims linked to its Eat Fit Digestive Biscuits, Pluckk over a "No Added Sugar" claim on mango fruit juice, Marico over labels such as "Heart Pro", The Health Factory over "Zero Maida" claims, Ferrero India over the "Rich in Milk Solids" claim on Kinder Joy, Plan B over vegan endorsement requirements, Organic Wisdom, Two Brothers Organic Farms and World of Organic over use of organic branding without the stated certifications or logo, several brands using the word "Healthy" in ways that created unbacked health impressions, and MasterChow Foods over claims such as "100% Natural" and "Freshly Made".
FSSAI has also issued notices in other food safety matters, including to Nestle India seeking an Action Taken Report after viral allegations of insects or larvae in a packet of Maggi noodles, to a KFC outlet in Eluru in Andhra Pradesh over hygiene, waste management and food-handling deficiencies, and to Bikanervala over inventory management practices and the removal of expired items from supply lines.
The affected brands have been given short time windows, typically 7 days, to submit scientific validation or change packaging, as part of a wider regulatory push that requires scientific evidence for food claims and bars terms such as "100% Pure" or "100% Natural" unless they are fully verifiable.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has issued notices to six beverage brands, including Red Bull and PepsiCo India, over misbranding and misleading claims linked to products sold as energy drinks. In a post on Instagram on Wednesday, the regulator said it had issued notices to several beverage brands claiming to be energy drinks for misbranding and misleading claims.
The six brands named by the regulator are Red Bull Energy Drink, PepsiCo's Adrenaline Rush Energy Drink, Reliance Consumer Products' Campa Energy Drink-Gold Boost, Sting Energy Drink, Hell Energy and Coca-Cola-backed Monster Energy. Comments could not be obtained immediately from the six brands.
FSSAI said it has not notified any standard for "Energy Drink" or similar products. It said these brands had marketed their products using descriptors such as "energy drink" on product branding and labelling. The regulator also said the Food Category System under the FSS Regulations is not meant for product naming or labelling purposes.
The regulator said functional or therapeutic claims are not allowed for food products under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the rules and regulations framed under it. It said claims including, but not limited to, "vitalizes body and mind", "enhancing focus", "boost energy levels", "aid in general weakness", or similar conditions are not permissible for food products.
The notices to the beverage firms come amid a wider FSSAI crackdown on misbranding, misleading claims and advertisements by food business operators, including cases taken up on the basis of consumer complaints.
Crackdown on other companies
In recent months, the regulator has informed consumers about such notices through social media platforms such as X and Instagram as part of its food safety efforts. The broader action has covered more than 14 food business operators over issues including deceptive trade names, uncertified organic tags and front-of-pack claims that did not match ingredient declarations.
Among the brands flagged were SAJ Food Products for claims linked to its Eat Fit Digestive Biscuits, Pluckk over a "No Added Sugar" claim on mango fruit juice, Marico over labels such as "Heart Pro", The Health Factory over "Zero Maida" claims, Ferrero India over the "Rich in Milk Solids" claim on Kinder Joy, Plan B over vegan endorsement requirements, Organic Wisdom, Two Brothers Organic Farms and World of Organic over use of organic branding without the stated certifications or logo, several brands using the word "Healthy" in ways that created unbacked health impressions, and MasterChow Foods over claims such as "100% Natural" and "Freshly Made".
FSSAI has also issued notices in other food safety matters, including to Nestle India seeking an Action Taken Report after viral allegations of insects or larvae in a packet of Maggi noodles, to a KFC outlet in Eluru in Andhra Pradesh over hygiene, waste management and food-handling deficiencies, and to Bikanervala over inventory management practices and the removal of expired items from supply lines.
The affected brands have been given short time windows, typically 7 days, to submit scientific validation or change packaging, as part of a wider regulatory push that requires scientific evidence for food claims and bars terms such as "100% Pure" or "100% Natural" unless they are fully verifiable.