By Shruti Mahajan | Updated on Oct 07, 2026 at 11:13 AM
PepsiCo Inc., Reliance Consumer Products Ltd. and Monster Beverage Corp. got temporary relief from a local court Tuesday to sell existing stocks of products labeled ‘energy drink’ in a setback to the food regulator’s crackdown against misleading marketing.
The companies were not given adequate opportunity to respond or present their case before the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India asked them to drop such labeling, according to the Oct. 6 order of the Delhi High Court. It temporarily halted FSSAI’s June 30 direction.
The court relief gives some of India’s biggest consumer companies room to keep selling products already in the market. It could also become an important precedent as the regulator’s scrutiny of food and beverage companies faces pushback.
Earlier, another court set aside a similar order by FSSAI against Austrian beverage maker Red Bull.
Still, Tuesday’s ruling permits only the sale of existing stock as the court clarified it hasn’t allowed the companies to keep manufacturing products labeled ‘energy drink.’
The case, which comes up for hearing next month, could determine procedural requirements for FSSAI before imposing restrictions.
Read More: Raids on Dirty Kitchens Spawn Food Safety Sleuths in India (1)