Now Reading: Bombay HC stays FSSAI ban on Old Monk, McDowell’s variants
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Bombay HC stays FSSAI ban on Old Monk, McDowell’s variants
The Bombay High Court on Friday restrained the food safety regulator from enforcing its ban on several popular rum and whisky brands, including Old Monk and McDowell's No 1, until the next…
The Story in Brief
The Bombay High Court on Friday restrained the food safety regulator from enforcing its ban on several popular rum and whisky brands, including Old Monk and McDowell's No 1, until the next hearing on Monday. The FSSAI had ordered a halt to sales of three Old Monk variants, Antiquity Blue, Royal Challenge and others, saying they used artificial flavours like adding rum flavour to rum instead of proper ageing methods.
The regulator's lab tests found many products used neutral spirit with less than 5 per cent matured spirit, making age claims deceptive under FSS (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations 2018. United Spirits and Mohan Meakin challenged the orders in court, arguing their methods are standard industry practice followed for decades and that relabelling products as 'rum-flavoured spirit' requires prior approval from state excise departments, which cannot be done overnight.
The Indian Opinion
The usual narrative frames FSSAI as a nanny state picking on beloved brands while industry cries disruption. But the regulator has a point: if a product labelled '7 years blended' contains barely 5 per cent aged spirit, that isn't nitpicking, it is mislabelling. Yet shutting down entire product lines overnight without transition does hurt workers and small distributors more than boardrooms. The real test is Monday's hearing: will the court demand a phased compliance timeline, or let this become another endless litigation where both sides claim victory while consumers get neither clarity nor truth in their drink? A yes or no on relabelling deadlines will settle which side is serious.
Sources (2): livemint.com, indiatoday.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
