India rejects Red Bull, Monster plea to extend energy drink label deadline

India’s food safety regulator refused beverage companies’ request to extend a 90-day deadline to remove “energy drink” labels, a decision set to disrupt the industry. PepsiCo, Red Bull, Monster and Reliance sought at least one year, citing millions of cans and pending imports. The regulator argued states can sell existing stocks within 60–90 days, and companies failed to track inventory. India’s energy drink market is growing 12.6% annually, with sales reaching 907 million litres last year. Regulators globally cite health concerns; England will ban sales to under-16s from April.