Delhi HC allows Reliance to continue marketing Campa products as ‘energy drinks’

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday allowed Reliance Industries to continue marketing its Campa brand products as "energy drinks", giving the company relief from an order by India's food safety regulator that barred makers of high-caffeine beverages from using the description, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

The relief came in a plea filed this month against a June 30 order by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which directed makers of high-caffeine beverages sold as "energy drinks" to stop using the description.

At Tuesday's hearing, the Delhi High Court asked FSSAI's lawyer why the regulator had not issued Reliance a notice before passing the order. The court told the agency it was "never too late" to correct its mistake.

The court will next hear the case on November 5. It is also set to hear similar pleas from PepsiCo and Monster Beverage later on Tuesday.

PepsiCo and Monster Beverage sued FSSAI last week, while Austria's Red Bull secured a court reprieve to continue using the "energy drink" designation.

Reliance Consumer Products, the beverages arm of Reliance, said in its October filing that it holds finished inventory of 168 million cans and 120 million plastic bottles, along with pre-printed packaging for an additional 400 million cans and 360 million bottles bearing the "Energy Drink" labelling.

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State authorities have seized Reliance stock and ordered e-commerce platforms to remove the products, causing "substantial disruption" to its business operations, Reliance Consumer Products said in its filing.

FSSAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The regulator's crackdown is part of a broader, India-wide food safety push this year, including raids, shutdowns and new warning-label requirements, driven by growing concern over the health risks posed by such products.

Reliance revived the Campa brand in 2023 and has used its retail network and low prices to challenge Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.

The label ban threatens its ambitions in India's fast-growing energy drinks market, where retail sales are expanding 12.6% a year, outstripping growth in the US and China, according to Euromonitor.