FSSAI orders to drop 'energy drink' from labels (Jun 2026)

Update, 3 Nov 2026: PepsiCo appealed the 6 Oct condition that bars it from making new stock with the term. On 12 Oct 2026 a division bench of the Delhi High Court (Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma) did not rule on the merits; it found the single judge had not recorded 'specific reasons' for refusing manufacture and sent the matter back to be decided with reasons within a week, noting: 'What is in operation is an ad-interim relief in the matter.' FSSAI argued the appeal was not maintainable. On 15 Oct 2026 the court declined PepsiCo's request for urgent permission to keep making Sting and Adrenaline Rush with the label (PepsiCo said 492 million bottles and 26 million cans with the labels were in circulation as of 31 Jul) and listed the manufacture plea for 30 Oct 2026. Justice Amit Mahajan's stay continues until the next hearing on 5 Nov 2026. We found no report of the outcome on 30 Oct.

Update, 8 Oct 2026: the label order is now in court. On 29 Sep 2026 the Delhi High Court set aside FSSAI's order against Red Bull because the company had not been given a show-cause notice or a hearing; FSSAI may decide afresh after hearing it. On 6 Oct 2026 the same court stayed FSSAI's orders, and its 17 Jul letter asking states to enforce them, for PepsiCo (Sting), Monster and Reliance (Campa Energy). PepsiCo and Monster may sell stock made up to 6 Oct with the old label but may not make new stock with the term; the next hearing is on 5 Nov 2026. No court relief has been reported for Hell or other brands.

FSSAI's orders, dated 30 Jun 2026 according to the court records, directed manufacturers of caffeinated beverages to stop using the term 'energy drink' and to label their products 'Caffeinated beverage', the category name under regulation 2.10.6 of the Food Products Standards and Food Additives Regulations. The same regulation sets caffeine at 145 to 300 mg per litre and requires cautionary statements. Manufacturers were given 90 days, to 29 Sep 2026.

The orders followed two years of pressure on category names. In April 2024 FSSAI had told e-commerce platforms that 'health drink' and 'energy drink' had no definition in law, and the ministries had asked platforms to recategorise Bournvita and similar products. The 2026 orders applied the same logic to the drinks themselves. Industry pushed back on timing. On 8 Aug 2026 Business Standard reported that FSSAI would not ease the deadline, and on 27 Aug 2026 FoodNavigator quoted companies saying 90 days was not enough to redesign and reprint packaging across the supply chain.

The orders are a labelling direction. They do not prohibit any product, brand or ingredient, and they do not require withdrawal of stock. Separate state actions (Rajasthan's 10 Jul 2026 prohibition on eight brands, Maharashtra's school-zone restriction on Sting and Punjab's 2025 directive on minors) are what searchers usually mean by 'energy drink ban'; they are recorded on their own pages.