By S. Shriram, Editor-in-Chief, Retail Updates
India’s food regulator has fired a shot that the beverage industry did not see coming.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued notices to six major brands — Red Bull, Coca-Cola-backed Monster Energy, PepsiCo India’s Adrenaline Rush, Sting Energy Drink, Hell Energy, and Reliance Consumer Products’ Campa Energy Drink – Gold Boost,— for alleged misbranding and misleading claims.
According to the regulator, India currently has no notified food standard for products described as “energy drinks,” yet several companies continue to market their beverages using this descriptor on product packaging and labelling.
Functional claims such as “vitalizes body and mind,” “enhances focus,” or “boosts energy levels” are not permissible for food products under Indian law.
The stakes are considerable. India’s energy drinks market was valued at USD 1.5 billion (approximately INR 12,500 crore) in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 2.9 billion by 2034, driven by urbanisation, a large youth population, and rising fitness awareness.
The competitive landscape is sharply tiered.
PepsiCo’s Sting has expanded the mass segment through affordability and PET packaging, while Red Bull retains premium brand equity across urban consumers, HoReCa and modern trade.
By 2022, Varun Beverages — PepsiCo’s bottling partner — ensured Sting was available at over two million retail locations, a distribution reach comparable to well-established legacy brands.
Red Bull, by contrast, relies on a hub-and-spoke distribution model serving premium retail, airports, and on-trade outlets.
Monster, backed by Coca-Cola, and Hell Energy compete in aspirational urban formats. Reliance’s Campa Energy, backed by the RIL distribution machine, is a late but formidable challenger across general and modern trade.
On marketing, Red Bull’s identity is built around extreme sports and motorsport associations globally, while Monster India leans into gaming and youth culture.
Sting has historically used celebrity-led campaigns and mass-media activation to drive affordability messaging.
The health dimension is impossible to ignore.
Research identifies arrhythmias, anxiety, insomnia, restlessness, caffeine toxicity, gastrointestinal upset, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity as potential consequences of energy drink consumption.
Some energy drinks contain between 200 mg and 300 mg of caffeine per can — two to three times the recommended daily intake for a teenager, placing unnecessary stress on the cardiovascular and nervous systems.
Editor’s Note
FSSAI’s action was inevitable — you cannot sell stimulants dressed as superfoods and expect regulators to look away forever.
Brands must now stop hiding behind clever labelling and instead work with FSSAI to build standards this category has never had.
Bars, pubs, and restaurants are the right channels for this product — adults, context, and accountability all in one place.
The real danger, though, is an INR 20 can landing at a teenager’s door in ten minutes flat, no questions asked — Q-commerce has made addiction dangerously easy.
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