PepsiCo told an
Indian court on Thursday that a continued ban on the “energy
drink” label could drive its top-selling products out of stock
nationwide in two months, though rival Red Bull is free to sell
its own products for now.
The remarks came as the Delhi High Court again refused to
let PepsiCo resume making drinks carrying the prized label,
barred by the regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority
of India (FSSAI).
“There will be no goods in the market after a couple of
months,” PepsiCo’s lawyer, Sandeep Sethi, told the court. “My
competitors are able to manufacture.”
Red Bull won a court reprieve last month from the
regulator’s order, but rivals PepsiCo, Monster and
Reliance Consumer have so far been limited to selling existing
stocks bearing the label.
The case is a test of how far the food safety regulator can
go in policing product labels in India’s rapidly growing
energy-drink market, built largely on PepsiCo’s .
In June, the regulator ordered makers of high-caffeine
drinks to drop the term “energy drink”, amid growing concerns
about the health risk of such products.
Energy drinks boomed in India after PepsiCo launched Sting
in 2017, with its 20-rupee ($0.21) plastic bottles proving
popular among 15- to 19-year-olds and in rural areas,
Euromonitor says.
PepsiCo also sells its energy drink Adrenaline Rush in the
market.
Starting over was “a long cumbersome process”, Sethi told
the court, with the company’s cans already bought and printed.
“That will play havoc with our entire distribution system,”
he added.
The court has yet to rule on the merits of the ban, with the
next hearing in the case set for October 30.
Published on October 15, 2026
