Fact-check
Is Horlicks banned in India?
Last checked 3 November 2026
Horlicks is not banned in India as of 3 Nov 2026; FSSAI announced a show-cause notice to Hindustan Unilever on 17 Oct 2026 over claims on two variants, Women's Plus and Mother's Plus Kesar, and in April 2024 HUL voluntarily removed 'health food drink' from Horlicks and Boost after FSSAI said the term has no legal definition. No order restricts sale.
- Classification
- No ban or recall found in official records
- Decided by
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
- Reference
- FSSAI show-cause notice to HUL announced 17 Oct 2026 (text not published); context for 2024 is FSSAI's 2 Apr 2024 advisory on 'health drink' categorisation
- Latest action
- 17 October 2026
- Last checked
- 3 November 2026
Horlicks malted milk glass jar (Auckland Museum collection). Photo: Jar, malted milk (AM 1997.80.57-1).jpg by Horlicks Ltd (CC BY 4.0). Brand names and logos belong to their owners and are used here to identify the product this entry is about. All photo credits.
FSSAI issues notices to Nestle, HUL over misleading food product claims
Our team has checked this record against the published reports, last on 3 November 2026. The government order itself is not published online, or we have not found it yet, so we link the best public report. If you have the order, send it to us and we will link it instead.
Scope. A record here does not by itself mean a product or company is unsafe or banned today. Regulatory actions can apply to one batch, one formulation, one period or one state. Always check the linked government document for the current position, and tell us if something is out of date. How we label records.
Below: Blacklisted's explanationWe explain what has been reported. The report above is the best source we hold.
Key facts
- Status
- On sale; no order against any Horlicks product
- Oct 2026 notice
- Show-cause notice on Horlicks Women's Plus Chocolate 400 g (bone-health claims, 'No Added Sugar' with maltodextrin, '100 per cent RDA', 'healthy') and Horlicks Mother's Plus Kesar 400 g ('Healthy Birth Weight')
- Regular Horlicks
- Not named in the notice
- April 2024
- HUL renames the category 'functional nutritional drinks' (voluntary)
Where the claim comes from
The 'Horlicks banned' claim comes from April 2024 headlines about HUL removing 'health food drink' from Horlicks and Boost after FSSAI's advisory on the term, often bundled with the Bournvita advisory. A voluntary relabel was reported as if it were a regulatory ban. FSSAI's October 2026 claims notice on two Horlicks variants is the newest trigger.
Horlicks is not banned. On 17 Oct 2026 FSSAI announced a show-cause notice to Hindustan Unilever over two variants. For Horlicks Women's Plus Chocolate (400 g) it called 'Nutrition for Strong Bones', 'Clinically Proven to Help Improve Bone Strength in 6 Months' and 'Improves Bone Health' misleading or non-compliant, and said 'No Added Sugar' was misleading because the product contains maltodextrin. For Horlicks Mother's Plus Kesar (400 g) it cited 'Healthy Birth Weight' on the label and in an advertisement. A show-cause notice asks the company to explain; no reply or order has been reported, and neither variant was taken off sale.
The older confusion dates from April 2024. When FSSAI advised e-commerce operators on 2 Apr 2024 that 'health drink' had no legal definition, Hindustan Unilever announced that Horlicks and Boost would drop the 'health food drink' descriptor and be marketed as 'functional nutritional drinks'. The company made the change on its own; no notice, direction or prohibition was issued to it then. The announcement came in the same fortnight as the advisory on Bournvita, and the two were reported together as a crackdown on 'health drinks'.
The only other Horlicks item on record is a laboratory finding from the Citizens Protein Project 2 in November 2025 on Horlicks Protein Plus, which reported undeclared fructose and high taurine. That is an independent study result with no regulatory consequence. Horlicks and Boost remain on sale without restriction.
What this means for you
A notice on two variants is not a ban
The October 2026 notice asks HUL to justify claims on Women's Plus and Mother's Plus Kesar. Both, and regular Horlicks, stay on sale.
The 2024 change was only a descriptor
The product, its formulation and its availability stayed the same. HUL changed a phrase on the pack.
This is a record of official orders, not medical advice. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without asking your doctor or pharmacist.
Common questions
Is Horlicks banned in India?
No. Horlicks is on sale. FSSAI's 17 Oct 2026 notice concerns claims on two variants, Women's Plus and Mother's Plus Kesar, and no order has followed.
Why did FSSAI send a notice about Horlicks Women's Plus?
It called the bone-health claims misleading or non-compliant and said 'No Added Sugar' was misleading because the drink contains maltodextrin.
Sources
- FSSAI issues notices to Nestle, HUL over misleading food product claimsNewsBusiness Standard · 17 October 2026
- Horlicks, Boost removed from 'health food drinks' category by HUL, renamed 'functional nutritional drinks'NewsZee Business
- FSSAI asks all e-commerce food business operators to ensure appropriate categorisation of food products sold on their websitesNewsAll India Radio