The beverages arm of billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries has asked an Indian court to quash an order by the country’s food safety regulator that prevents it from marketing Campa-brand products as “energy drinks”, according to a court filing seen by Reuters.
The legal challenge follows an order by the food safety regulator requiring manufacturers of high-caffeine beverages marketed as “energy drinks” to stop using that description from June 30. The regulator’s action formed part of an unprecedented food-safety crackdown driven by concerns over the health risks associated with such products.
Reliance’s beverage business is seeking to overturn the restriction specifically as it applies to the marketing of its Campa-branded products. The court filing sets out the company’s challenge to the regulator’s order, although the supplied information does not specify the legal grounds on which Reliance is seeking to have the order quashed.
The dispute centres on the use of the term “energy drinks” for beverages containing high levels of caffeine. The food safety regulator had directed manufacturers to discontinue the description from the June 30 deadline as authorities increased scrutiny of such products over potential health risks.
The regulatory action represents a significant intervention in the marketing of high-caffeine beverages in India, with manufacturers affected by the order required to change how their products are described. Reliance’s court challenge now places the regulator’s decision before the judiciary.
