Diageo to Reformulate Indian Spirits After FSSAI Flavor Ban

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has ordered Diageo to reformulate several of its leading spirits brands, including Royal Challenge, Antiquity Blue, and McDowell’s No.1 Rum. The regulator banned the sale of these products, arguing that adding artificial or nature-identical substances to replicate the taste of spirits—such as adding rum flavor to rum—is not an internationally recognized manufacturing practice.

Diageo agreed to remove these flavorings nationwide and will explicitly list any added flavoring substances on the front packaging of bottles during the transition. In exchange, the FSSAI is expected to drop the sales bans. The company has been granted a 90-day window to modify its formulations to comply with the Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations, 2018, while remaining permitted to sell existing stocks.

This resolution follows legal challenges filed by Diageo's Indian subsidiary, United Spirits, and other manufacturers like Mohan Meakin. The regulatory action also targeted misleading age-related claims for blended spirits. Separately, Indian authorities seized approximately 18,000 cases of Diageo products for allegedly failing to meet recycled plastic packaging marking requirements.