Red Bull moves court against food regulator for barring use of ‘energy drink’ label on cans

Austrian beverage maker Red ‌Bull has filed a case against India’s food safety regulator for banning the use of the “energy drink” descriptor without issuing a warning notice, Reuters reported on Monday.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s decision was hurting Red Bull’s investments in India, the news agency quoted the firm as having claimed before the Delhi High Court.

It alleged that the regulator had not followed the legal process before it reached its decision.

In June, the regulator barred makers of high-caffeine beverages from using the “energy drink” description for their products. This came amid a crackdown by the food regulators on food adulteration and misleading advertisements of products in recent months.

Red Bull’s Indian subsidiary was quoted as saying that the “abrupt prohibition” of the descriptor “introduces substantial regulatory uncertainty and adversely affects” its existing and planned investments.

Edited by Sneha.

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