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The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has prohibited five manufacturers from selling popular rum and whisky drinks for not complying with regulations, said the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Monday.
The manufacturers had been using added flavours rather than relying on the maturation of base materials such as molasses or malt to develop the products’ taste and aroma, the ministry added.
It said that based on the appeal by two manufacturers, “conditional revocation has been issued”.
“For the existing stock in hand, they have been allowed to sell the product by revealing the true nature of the product on the front of the pack, whereas for future production a clear direction has been passed as to not add identical flavour in the product, such as rum flavour or whisky flavour,” said the ministry.
It pointed out that such products are not only sub-standard, “but are also misrepresented by using the names of standard categories”. “At best, they can be identified as rum-flavoured spirit or whisky-flavoured spirit, etc,” it said.
The ministry noted that the packaging of the products had failed to disclose their true nature, which was in violation of the Food Safety and Standards rules pertaining to labelling.
Among the manufacturers against which the action was taken are Mohan Rocky Springwater and United Spirits in Maharashtra. The other three are Inbrew Beverages, Associated Alcohols & Breweries, and United Spirits in Madhya Pradesh.
They have been prohibited from selling variants of rum and whiskey.
Additionally, notices have been issued to six manufacturers in Maharashtra, said the health ministry.
‘Addition of flavours not justified’
In a press release, the ministry said that the characteristic aroma, flavour and taste of alcoholic beverages are derived from the fermentation of base materials – such as molasses for rum or malt for whisky – along with yeast activity, distillation and the maturation process.
Taking the example of Old Monk Rum, it said that when the products by the manufacturers against whom action has been taken were tested in a lab, they were found to be substandard.
This was because “the addition of artificial flavours is masking its natural flavour”, the ministry said, adding that the failure to describe the product as “flavoured rum” or “rum-flavoured spirit” was misleading and deceptive.
It added that while the use of natural or nature-identical flavouring substances is permitted under the regulations, this applies to flavours such as coffee or vanilla.
“The present matter, however, concerns the practice adopted by certain manufacturers of adding the flavour of the standardised alcoholic beverage itself,” the ministry pointed out.
The addition of rum flavour to rum or whisky flavour to whisky is not supported by any legitimate technological justification, as required under the regulatory framework governing food additives, it added.
Written by Sneha. Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.
Also read: India’s food regulator flagged over 160 misleading claims. Years later, 120 are still around
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