Fact-check
Is Kurkure banned in India?
Last checked 20 September 2026. A few details are still being checked against the original document.
Kurkure is not banned in India as of 20 Sep 2026; no FSSAI order, recall or notice names it, and the 'plastic in Kurkure' claim is a hoax the Delhi High Court ordered removed from social media in June 2018.
- Classification
- No ban or recall found in official records
- Decided by
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI); Delhi High Court
- Reference
- No order on record (FSSAI press, claims-notice lists and recall checks, 20 Sep 2026); Delhi High Court orders of 1 and 23 Jun 2018 in PepsiCo's suit (case, being verified
- Latest action
- 23 June 2018
- Last checked
- 20 September 2026details being verified
Close-up of a Kurkure Masala Munch pack. Photo: Kurkure Masala Munch made with dal, corn and rice by dullhunk (Flickr) (CC BY 2.0). Brand names and logos belong to their owners and are used here to identify the product this entry is about. All photo credits.
Delhi HC does not find Kurkure 'plastic' jokes funny, orders social media giants to erase them
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 Always check the linked government document for the current position, and tell us if something is out of date.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
- Current status
- On sale nationwide; no order in force
- The 'plastic' claim
- Videos of Kurkure burning, shared since 2013, presented as proof it contains plastic
- What the court did
- On 1 and 23 Jun 2018 the Delhi High Court ordered Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram to remove thousands of posts; PepsiCo listed 3,412 Facebook links, 20,244 posts, 242 YouTube videos and 562 tweets
- Regulator finding
- None. No FSSAI or state lab has reported plastic in Kurkure
- PepsiCo notices 2026
- FSSAI's August 2026 claims wave named PepsiCo without naming a product; the July 2026 notices concerned Sting and Adrenaline Rush
Where the claim comes from
The rumour is the 'plastic in Kurkure' video. Since 2013 clips have shown the snack held to a flame, burning and blackening, with a voice-over saying this proves it is made of plastic. The clips return every year, often paired with the 2015 Maggi withdrawal to suggest a pattern of 'banned' snacks. PepsiCo took the platforms to court in 2018 and won removal orders, but the clips still resurface.
Kurkure has never been banned in India and is not under any FSSAI order today. The reason the question keeps being asked is one viral video format.
Since about 2013, clips have circulated showing a piece of Kurkure held over a flame. It catches, burns and blackens. The voice-over says this proves the snack is plastic. In fact any dry, oily snack made from cereal and pulse flours burns this way; a papad or a biscuit does the same. PepsiCo's response, repeated in court, was that Kurkure, like any snack made from rice meal and similar ingredients, will burn.
In May 2018 PepsiCo sued Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram in the Delhi High Court, listing 3,412 Facebook links, 20,244 posts, 242 YouTube videos and 562 tweets it said were defamatory. On 1 Jun 2018 the court ordered the posts removed, and on 23 Jun 2018 it directed the platforms to take down similar content when notified. The order covered jokes as well as claims, which drew criticism, but the underlying point stands: no laboratory, regulator or court has found plastic in Kurkure.
No FSSAI action names Kurkure. FSSAI's 2026 notices to PepsiCo concerned energy-drink claims on Sting and Adrenaline Rush in July and unnamed claims in the August wave. None restricts the sale of any snack. Kurkure is not banned, not recalled and not under notice in India as of 20 Sep 2026.
What this means for you
Burning proves nothing
Dry, oily snacks made from cereal and pulse flours burn and blacken. That is starch and oil combusting, not plastic melting.
No regulator has acted
If Kurkure contained plastic it would be an unsafe food and FSSAI would have ordered it withdrawn. No such order has ever been made.
The 2026 notices are about labels
PepsiCo received claims and labelling notices in 2026. None names Kurkure and none restricts sale.
This is a record of official orders, not medical advice. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without asking your doctor or pharmacist.
Common questions
Does Kurkure contain plastic?
No. The burning videos show starch and oil combusting. No lab or regulator has found plastic, and the Delhi High Court ordered the claim removed from social media in 2018.
Official sources and primary records
- Delhi HC does not find Kurkure 'plastic' jokes funny, orders social media giants to erase themNewsThePrint
- FSSAI issued 150 notices to food brands over misleading ads in recent weeksNewsBusiness Standard · 22 August 2026
- FSSAI issues notices to Red Bull, PepsiCo and four others over misleading 'energy drink' claimsNewsSocial Samosa · 2 July 2026