FSSAI says no Indian standard exists for 'energy drinks' and has given major brands 90 days to relabel high-caffeine beverages. Rajasthan has already begun seizing non-compliant stock.
FSSAI confirmed in July 2026 that no prescribed Indian standard exists for products marketed as "energy drinks," and has ordered PepsiCo India (Sting), Red Bull GmbH, Monster Beverage Corporation, Reliance Consumer Products, and Hell Energy to strip the phrase from all packaging within 90 days.
The directive came after FSSAI issued notices to these brands earlier in July, flagging that promotional claims printed on cans and bottles, phrases such as "vitalises body and mind" or "helps in general weakness," could mislead buyers into treating a high-caffeine carbonated beverage as a functional health product. FSSAI Chief Executive Rajit Punhani met industry representatives on 25 July and, according to Mint's reporting, told companies they were free to challenge the order in court. A government source told Mint the companies subsequently agreed to comply.
What changed
India's food safety framework under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, requires that any product category sold with specific health or functional claims must have a corresponding standard notified by FSSAI. Because no such standard for "energy drinks" has been notified, brands have been operating in a regulatory grey zone, using the term freely on labels while the category grew at roughly 12.6 percent annually. Euromonitor projects the Indian energy drinks market will reach $1.6 billion by 2028, with sales volumes having nearly doubled each year between 2018 and 2023.
The category's rapid growth traces partly to PepsiCo's 2017 launch of Sting, a low-priced drink that found wide uptake among teenagers and young adults in smaller towns and rural markets. That expansion brought the category to the attention of regulators who now argue the "energy drink" label implies a benefit the products are not formally certified to deliver.
Enforcement has already moved beyond notices. Rajasthan's food safety authorities have seized thousands of bottles of Sting, Campa Energy (Reliance Consumer Products), and Red Bull. On 8 July, the Rajasthan government separately directed Amazon, Flipkart, Blinkit, and Swiggy Instamart to stop advertising or promoting these products under the "energy drink" description.
The Indian Beverage Association (IBA), which represents several of the affected brands, wrote to FSSAI on 6 July arguing that making regulatory notices public without prior industry consultation damages corporate reputations and confuses consumers. The IBA asked for regular pre-implementation dialogue and said it remained committed to science-based policy. FSSAI has not publicly responded to that letter, and the full schedule for the new labeling standard, if one is being drafted, has not been released.
What the order does not do is ban the products or cap caffeine content. The 90-day window is specifically for label revision. Whether FSSAI will follow up with a formal product standard that defines permissible caffeine levels, permitted additives, and mandatory warnings remains unclear. Until that standard is notified, these beverages will need to be sold under a different category description, most likely as "carbonated water with added flavours" or a similar classification that already has an FSSAI standard.
What buyers and cooks should do
If you currently buy Sting, Red Bull, Monster, Campa Energy, or Hell Energy for yourself or your household, the product formulation is not changing under this order. Only the label is. That distinction matters for one practical reason: the caffeine content in these cans is not going anywhere. A standard 250 ml can of Red Bull contains roughly 80 mg of caffeine. Sting's 250 ml can carries approximately 85 mg. Neither figure is regulated by a specific Indian energy drink standard because, as FSSAI has now confirmed, that standard does not exist.
For parents of teenagers, the Rajasthan seizures and the IBA's own acknowledgment that younger consumers have reported dependence on these products are worth noting. The relabeling order removes the phrase "energy drink" but does not add a mandatory age advisory or a caffeine-per-serving disclosure in a standardised format. Check the nutrition information panel on the back of the can for caffeine content; brands are currently required to list it, though placement and font size vary.
For café and restaurant owners who stock these beverages, the 90-day compliance window means current inventory with existing labels is still legal to sell. Once the deadline passes, stock carrying the "energy drink" description could be subject to the same enforcement action already seen in Rajasthan. It is worth confirming with your distributor when relabeled stock will be available.
For anyone choosing these drinks for perceived health benefits, the FSSAI position is now explicit: the claims on the label have no regulatory backing. A beverage with 80-plus mg of caffeine per can will keep you alert the same way a strong cup of filter coffee does. The difference is that coffee does not come with a label implying it "vitalises body and mind."