FSSAI has revoked two separate orders against United Spirits, clearing the way for the company to resume normal sales of affected products.

The first revocation deals with whisky products made at a third party facility in Madhya Pradesh.

FSSAI had originally issued an order on July 29 saying the labels on these products didn’t meet the requirements of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

United Spirits only received that order on August 4, and it took time to verify the details internally before disclosing it publicly.

FSSAI then reversed course on August 20, following further engagement with the company.

United Spirits said neither the original order nor the revocation carries any material financial or operational impact.

The second matter is separate and involves the company’s Baramati facility in Maharashtra.

Back on June 29, FSSAI had objected to a product manufactured there, McDowell’s No. 1 Rum, over the use of external artificial or nature identical flavours.

The regulator’s concern was specifically about flavours that closely resembled the beverage itself, such as rum flavour added to rum, which it said could mislead consumers. United Spirits didn’t let that order stand unchallenged.

It filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court on August 1, arguing that its product labels already complied with existing rules and reflected long standing industry practice.

Industry bodies including the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies and the International Spirits and Wines Association of India had also raised the issue with FSSAI as a shared industry concern.

FSSAI eventually revoked the June 29 order on August 17, which meant the very order at the centre of the court case no longer existed.

With both matters now resolved, United Spirits said it doesn’t expect any lasting impact on its business from either episode.

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