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Monster Beverage, Reliance\u2019s beverage unit and other makers can keep the \u201cenergy drink\u201d label on existing stocks in India, a court ruled on Tuesday as it reviewed a ban on the label by the food regulator.<\/strong><\/p>\n The ruling provides a breather for the \u200bcompanies after a months-long dispute they say disrupted operations.<\/p>\n The regulator in June ordered makers of high-caffeine beverages sold \u200bas \u201cenergy drinks\u201d to stop using the description, rejecting the industry\u2019s efforts to stall the move \u2060in a market expected to be worth $1.6 billion by 2028.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court made the allowances for Monster in a hearing that followed their pleas last week, according to court orders released.<\/p>\n The decision permits the \u200bcompanies to only sell existing stocks of drinks with the label. Any stocks manufactured after Tuesday must not carry the \u201cenergy drink\u201d label, the order added.<\/p>\n The order follows reprieves the court granted to Reliance Consumer, the beverage arm of Reliance, earlier on Tuesday and to Austria\u2019s Red \u200bBull last week.<\/p>\n The legal showdown is being closely watched as the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) \u200bhas embarked on a broader India-wide food safety push this year. Its crackdown has ranged from raids and shutdowns to new ingredient warning-label \u200crequirements, \u2060driven by growing concern over the health risks posed by junk food and beyond.<\/p>\n As it heard Reliance\u2019s arguments, the court asked FSSAI\u2019s lawyer why the regulator had not allowed the company enough time before passing the order, telling the agency it was \u201cnever too late\u201d to correct its mistake.<\/p>\n The court will continue to hear the cases in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n FSSAI \u200bdid not immediately respond to \u200ba request for comment.<\/p>\n The label ban has threatened the ambitions of Monster Beverage and Reliance in India\u2019s fast-growing energy drinks market, where retail sales are expanding 12.6% a year, \u200boutstripping growth in the US and China, according to Euromonitor.<\/p>\n Reliance and another brand said hundreds of \u2060millions of their beverage products labelled \u201cenergy drink\u201d have been abruptly taken out of circulation since the ban.<\/p>\n State authorities have seized their stock, causing financial losses and impacting investment plans, the companies have said.<\/p>\n Such moves \u201care causing substantial disruption\u201d to business operations, the \u2060beverages\u2019 arm \u200bof Reliance said in a court filing dated October 1, a copy \u200bof which was reviewed by Reuters.<\/p>\n Reliance revived the Campa brand in 2023 and has since used its retail network and low prices to challenge \u200bCoca-Cola and PepsiCo.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nSTOCK SEIZURES \u2060AND FINANCIAL LOSSES<\/strong><\/h3>\n