Does Your 'Energy Drink' Really Give You Energy?

Dear Reader,

I tried Red Bull for the first time in college, in my second year.

I had a paper due and was very behind. So I decided to buy the can I'd seen supporting my classmates through arduous nights.

I found a corner spot in the library and pulled the can open.

With my laptop across me, I took the first sip.

Less than a second later, I gagged. It tasted like cough syrup.

I hated it. And yet, I know so many people who swear by it.

Indeed, India's ‘energy drinks’ market is now worth around Rs 13,000 crore. 

And, until a few years ago, Red Bull dominated the market, as it does globally.

Then PepsiCo launched Sting.

A bright red bottle for just Rs 20.

Fast forward to today, ‘energy drinks’ aren’t restricted to college students and young professionals. They are everywhere: in kirana stores and paan shops. 

Outside one such paan shop in Delhi, I spoke to 17-year-old Mohammed, who held a bottle in his hand.

He told me that he drinks Sting for the “taste.”

But while consumers see these products as a category of their own, India's food regulator does not.

In July, the FSSAI, or the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, sent notices to six major brands, including Red Bull and Sting. It asked them to remove the term ‘energy drink’ from their labels and marketing, along with claims such as "vitalises body and mind,” “boosts energy” or “enhances focus.”

So what exactly is an ‘energy drink’?

And why does the FSSAI want companies to stop calling them that?

That's what I explore in the latest episode of The Signal Brief.

You can find The Signal Brief on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

Thank you once again for listening and supporting us. We’d love to hear from you; write to us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram or X at @thesignaldotco.

Best,
Kudrat
on behalf of The Core

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