The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched enforcement action against several alcoholic beverage manufacturers over alleged violations related to flavour usage, misleading labelling and age claims, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Sunday.
According to the Ministry, the action follows findings that certain manufacturers were adding external flavours that mimic the natural aroma and taste of standard alcoholic beverages and marketing them as regular rum or whisky, contrary to existing food safety regulations.
The Ministry said such products should be labelled according to their actual composition and not be presented as standard alcoholic beverages.
Regulator flags rum, whisky products for violating food safety norms
According to the Ministry, such products are "not only sub-standard but are also misrepresented by using the names of standard categories" and should instead be identified as "Rum-flavoured Spirit" or "Whisky-flavoured Spirit", while clearly disclosing their true nature on the front of the pack.
The Ministry said laboratory testing of rum and whisky samples from multiple manufacturers found the presence of external artificial or nature-identical flavours. It cited laboratory findings stating that "the addition of artificial flavours is masking its natural flavour and making the product substandard", adding that failure to describe such products as "flavoured/premix rum" on the label could mislead consumers.
Clarifying the regulatory position, the Ministry said the issue is not with the use of flavouring substances in general, which are permitted under food safety regulations where supported by a legitimate technological justification. Rather, it concerns the practice of adding the flavour of the standardised alcoholic beverage itself.
"The present matter... concerns the practice adopted by certain manufacturers of adding the flavour of the standardised alcoholic beverage itself, for instance, the addition of rum flavour in rum or whisky flavour in whisky," the statement said.
The Ministry also flagged a "7 years old blended" claim made on a rum variant, saying FSSAI's investigation found that the product primarily contained neutral, unaged spirit, while matured rum spirit accounted for less than 5 per cent of the blend. It said that under the Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations, 2018, the age claim of a blended spirit should be based on the youngest spirit in the blend.
The Ministry clarified that the action does not apply to the entire alcohol industry, noting that several manufacturers continue to produce standardised alcoholic beverages in compliance with prescribed standards. It also stated that there is "no internationally recognised manufacturing practice" of adding rum flavour to rum or whisky flavour to whisky to create their defining sensory characteristics.
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