The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Monday intensified its enforcement drive against food safety violations, suspending the licence of Matri Drinking Water in Tripura, issuing a prohibition order against Noble Healthcare in Punjab, and clarifying its recent action against several alcoholic beverage manufacturers over alleged regulatory violations.
FSSAI suspended the licence of Matri Drinking Water and prohibited the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of Noble Healthcare's product Venolex Forte with immediate effect under Section 36(3)(b) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
"FSSAI has suspended the licence of Matri Drinking Water, Tripura, and has issued a prohibition order to Noble Healthcare, Punjab, for serious food safety violations," the regulator said in a post on X, adding that it continues to maintain strict enforcement across food sectors to protect consumer health.
According to FSSAI, the action against Noble Healthcare followed multiple critical non-compliances detected during regulatory scrutiny.
The regulator said Venolex Forte contained ingredients that are not permitted under applicable food safety regulations. It also found that the product contained 90 mg of Vitamin C, which appears to exceed the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) prescribed under the ICMR-NIN Guidelines, 2020.
FSSAI further stated that the product contained pharmacologically active ingredients, including Calcium Dobesilate, Diosmin and Euphorbia Prostrata, which are not permitted under the Food Safety and Standards (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Food for Special Dietary Use, Food for Special Medical Purpose, Functional Food and Novel Food) Regulations, 2022.
The regulator also found that Venolex Forte was marketed as a "Dietary Food Supplement" while prominently displaying an FSSAI licence number, creating a misleading impression that the product had been specifically approved or endorsed by the regulator. It added that the product's labelling and overall presentation were misleading and potentially deceptive to consumers regarding its regulatory status.
Meanwhile, the government clarified that FSSAI's recent enforcement action against certain alcoholic beverage manufacturers relates to the use of flavouring substances that mimic the characteristics of standardised alcoholic beverages and allegedly misleading age-related claims on product labels.
In a statement, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) said action was initiated against some alcohol manufacturers for non-compliance with existing food safety regulations, including the use of flavours that imitate the inherent aroma and taste of standardised alcoholic beverages such as rum and whisky.
According to the ministry, investigations found that some manufacturers were producing alcoholic beverages primarily from spirit or extra-neutral alcohol before adding external flavours to recreate the sensory characteristics of rum and whisky.
"Such products are not only sub-standard but are also misrepresented by using the names of standard categories," the ministry said, adding that consumers were not adequately informed about the true nature of these products.
Laboratory testing of sampled rum and whisky products across multiple manufacturers found the presence of external artificial or nature-identical flavours, which the government said masked the products' natural flavour profile and rendered them sub-standard under existing regulations.
The ministry also flagged the "7 years old blended" claim on an Old Monk XXX Rum variant as misleading, noting that under the Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations, 2018, the age claim of a blended spirit is determined by the youngest spirit in the blend.
Based on laboratory reports, FSSAI issued prohibition-of-sale orders against products manufactured by Mohan Rocky Springwater's Khopoli unit, United Spirits' Baramati facility, INBREW Beverages in Madhya Pradesh, Associated Alcohol & Breweries in Madhya Pradesh, and another United Spirits unit in Madhya Pradesh.
The 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.
The ministry said inspections and sampling were also carried out at Mandexi Distilleries & Breweries in Goa, while notices were issued to six other manufacturers in Maharashtra.
Clarifying its regulatory position, the government said flavouring substances such as coffee and vanilla remain permitted where legally allowed and supported by a legitimate technological justification. However, the present action specifically concerns the addition of flavours representing the standardised alcoholic beverage itself, such as rum flavour in rum or whisky flavour in whisky.
The ministry emphasised that the enforcement action does not reflect on the entire alcohol industry and that several manufacturers continue to produce alcoholic beverages in compliance with prescribed food safety standards.
