Government Backs FSSAI Crackdown on Misleading Alcohol Brands The Indian government has publicly endorsed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)’s enforcement actions against several alcoholic beverage manufacturers, citing violations of food safety regulations. The crackdown targets brands such as Old Monk, McDowell’s, and others for alleged misuse of flavoring substances and misleading age-related claims on product labels. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) clarified that the actions were initiated due to non-compliance with existing standards, particularly the use of external flavors to mimic the sensory characteristics of standardised alcoholic beverages like rum and whisky. According to the ministry, laboratory tests of sampled products revealed that some manufacturers were producing alcoholic beverages primarily from spirit or extra-neutral alcohol and then adding artificial or nature-identical flavors to replicate the taste profiles of standard categories. These practices, the ministry stated, rendered the products sub-standard and misrepresented their true nature. For instance, the "7 years old blended" claim on an Old Monk XXX Rum variant was deemed misleading, as the age of a blended spirit is determined by the youngest spirit in the blend under the Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations, 2018. FSSAI issued prohibition-of-sale orders against products from several units, including Mohan Rocky Springwater’s Khopoli facility, United Spirits’ Baramati plant, INBREW Beverages in Madhya Pradesh, Associated Alcohol & Breweries in Madhya Pradesh, and a United Spirits unit in the same state. Affected brands include Old Monk rum variants, McDowell’s No.1 Rum, Bagpiper Deluxe Whisky, Old Cask Deluxe XXX Rum, Antiquity Blue Whisky, and Royal Challenge Whisky.#indian_government #fssai #united_spirits #old_monk #mcdowell_s
