Reliance Industries has filed a writ petition against the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) challenging a June 30 order that bars manufacturers of high-caffeine beverages from marketing their products as "energy drinks." The petition was filed on October 1 by Reliance Consumer Products Ltd, the beverages arm of Reliance, which claims the order has disrupted its business and affected its market presence, according to livemint.com.
The petition states that state authorities have seized Reliance's stock and ordered e-commerce platforms to delist the Campa-brand products. Reliance is seeking to have the FSSAI order quashed to resume marketing its beverages as energy drinks. This legal move follows similar actions by PepsiCo and Monster Beverage, which also sued FSSAI over the same crackdown. Austria's Red Bull has received temporary relief to continue using the energy drink label, per livemint.com.
The FSSAI order is part of a broader regulatory push to restrict the use of the term "energy drinks" for beverages with high caffeine content. PepsiCo India warned a Delhi court that the directive could have severe commercial consequences impacting investments. The crackdown has led to multiple beverage makers contesting the regulator's authority on labeling, highlighting tensions between industry players and food safety regulations in India, as reported by livemint.com.
Reliance's petition adds to ongoing legal challenges against FSSAI's labeling rules, with the company citing substantial disruption to its operations. The writ petition was filed on October 1, and the court's decision on this matter will be closely watched by the beverage industry and regulators alike, according to livemint.com.