FSSAI notice
'Health drink' advisory: Bournvita, Horlicks, Boost recategorised (Apr 2024)
Last checked 1 October 2026
On 2 Apr 2024 FSSAI said 'health drink' and 'energy drink' are not defined under the FSS Act, and on 10 Apr 2024 the Ministry of Commerce told platforms to delist Bournvita from 'health drinks'; nothing was banned.
- Classification
- Regulatory notice or advisory
- Decided by
- FSSAI; Ministry of Commerce and Industry; NCPCR
- Reference
- FSSAI advisory to e-commerce FBOs, RCD-15001/12/2023-Regulatory-FSSAI-Part(1), dated March 2024 (day left blank), issued 2 Apr 2024
- Evidence
- Government document
- Latest action
- 10 April 2024
- Last checked
- 1 October 2026
Photo: Grocery Store - Sasapasi - Dhenkanal 2018-01-25 9703.JPG by unknown (CC BY 3.0). All photo credits.
Clarification regarding categorization of 'Health Drinks / Energy Drinks' on E-Commerce website
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 Always check the linked government document for the current position, and tell us if something is out of date.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 organise and explain what the document says. The document above is the authority.
Key facts
- FSSAI advisory
- 2 Apr 2024, e-commerce FBOs to categorise foods correctly; 'health drink' and 'energy drink' undefined in law
- MoC advisory
- 10 Apr 2024, platforms to remove Bournvita and similar beverages from 'health drinks'
- Trigger
- NCPCR inquiry into Bournvita's sugar content and marketing
- Industry response
- HUL renamed Horlicks and Boost 'functional nutritional drinks' (voluntary)
- Products banned
- None
The 'health drink' episode of April 2024 was the first time Indian regulators acted on a category name rather than a product. It began with an inquiry by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights into Bournvita's sugar content and marketing. On 2 Apr 2024 FSSAI wrote to e-commerce food business operators noting that the Food Safety and Standards Act and its regulations define proprietary foods, nutraceuticals and foods for special dietary use but contain no category called 'health drink' or 'energy drink', and asked platforms to classify products under the categories that do exist. On 10 Apr 2024 the Ministry of Commerce and Industry advised platforms to remove Bournvita and similar beverages from the 'health drinks' shelf.
Hindustan Unilever responded by dropping 'health food drink' from Horlicks and Boost and adopting 'functional nutritional drinks'. Mondelez made no announced change to Bournvita's packaging.
No product was banned, recalled or reformulated by order. The advisory's legacy is FSSAI's June 2026 orders, which reportedly apply the same reasoning to 'energy drink', and the persistent searches asking whether Bournvita or Horlicks is banned. Neither is.
What this means for you
A category label, not a product
The advisories concern how online stores classify drinks. They did not change what is in the tin.
Read the nutrition panel
'Functional nutritional drink' is a marketing term too. Sugar per serving is on the label.
This is a record of official orders, not medical advice. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without asking your doctor or pharmacist.
Sources
Government documents
- Clarification regarding categorization of 'Health Drinks / Energy Drinks' on E-Commerce websiteRegulatorFood Safety and Standards Authority of India · 2 April 2024
News reports
- Remove Bournvita from 'health drinks' category, govt tells e-commerce sitesNewsBusiness Standard · 13 April 2024
- FSSAI asks all e-commerce food business operators to ensure appropriate categorisation of food products sold on their websitesNewsAll India Radio
- Horlicks, Boost removed from 'health food drinks' category by HUL, renamed 'functional nutritional drinks'NewsZee Business