Fact-check
Is Horlicks banned in India?
Last checked 19 September 2026. A few details are still being checked against the original document.
Horlicks is not banned in India as of 19 Sep 2026; in April 2024 Hindustan Unilever voluntarily removed 'health food drink' from Horlicks and Boost after FSSAI said the term has no legal definition, and no order was issued.
- Classification
- No ban or recall found in official records
- Decided by
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
- Reference
- No order; context is FSSAI's 2 Apr 2024 advisory on 'health drink' categorisation
- Latest action
- 2 April 2024
- Last checked
- 19 September 2026details being verified
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.
Horlicks, Boost removed from 'health food drinks' category by HUL, renamed 'functional nutritional drinks'
We have not yet found this action in a published government document. Treat it as reported, not confirmed. If you have the order, send it to us.
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 Always check the linked government document for the current position, and tell us if something is out of date.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 the product
- April 2024
- HUL renames category 'functional nutritional drinks' (voluntary)
- Regulatory notice to HUL
- None on record
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. A voluntary relabel was reported as if it were a regulatory ban, often bundled with the Bournvita advisory.
Horlicks was never the subject of a government order. 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.
The confusion arises from timing. The HUL announcement came in the same fortnight as the Ministry of Commerce's advisory on Bournvita, and the two were reported together as a crackdown on 'health drinks'. Neither product was banned.
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
Only the descriptor changed
The product, its formulation and its availability are 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.