Now Reading: FSSAI bars Diageo, Inbrew whiskies and rum over flavouring
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FSSAI bars Diageo, Inbrew whiskies and rum over flavouring
India's food safety regulator has banned the sale of several whiskies and rums made by Diageo's United Spirits, Inbrew Beverages and Mohan Rocky Springwater Breweries for using artificial flavouring instead of proper…
The Story in Brief
India's food safety regulator has banned the sale of several whiskies and rums made by Diageo's United Spirits, Inbrew Beverages and Mohan Rocky Springwater Breweries for using artificial flavouring instead of proper ageing. The FSSAI's August 2 order covers Royal Challenge and Antiquity Blue whisky from Madhya Pradesh, Old Monk rum variants, and other brands. A confidential July 20 notice, reviewed by Reuters, said Diageo's claim that Royal Challenge was 'matured in American oak casks' was misleading because most of the spirit was not matured.
The Bombay High Court on Monday sought the Centre's response to a plea by the makers challenging the ban. Mohan Rocky Springwater Breweries, which makes Old Monk, said it is losing Rs 1 crore a day and that relabelling would mean admitting a 50-year-old practice was wrong. The court will hear the matter again on August 24. United Spirits told stock exchanges it expects no financial impact from the ban.
The Indian Opinion
The industry's defence that flavouring has been standard practice for decades does not answer the regulator's core charge: a label that says 'matured in American oak casks' when most of the whisky is neutral spirit is simply false. Nor does the absence of consumer complaints make the claim honest. But the FSSAI's sudden ban, after years of tolerance, creates chaos for companies and states that depend on alcohol revenue. The real test is whether the regulator can enforce clear labelling rules going forward, not just punish old labels. Will it now check every whisky on the shelf, or only the big players? That will show if this is reform or showpiece.
Sources (2): thehindu.com, livemint.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
