- FSSAI officials visited United Spirits' factory in Bengaluru last week and found missing required markings on recycled plastic bottles.
- Inspectors seized around 18,000 boxes of Diageo liquor bottles, including brands like DSP Black Deluxe Whisky, Smirnoff Zesty Lime, and VAT 69, worth about $1.6 million.
- Diageo India confirmed the quarantine and stated products are safe, engaging with FSSAI for further direction.
- The seizure follows FSSAI's recent actions against Diageo for misleading whisky maturity claims and artificial flavouring.
- During their checks, inspectors found Diageo's bottles only had markings showing they were made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), but should have carried a government-mandated recycled PET symbol that also indicates they are food-grade.
- This raised serious food safety, misleading and misbranding compliance concerns regarding the safety of finished alcoholic beverages for consumers.
- The FSSAI has also warned Diageo that it misleadingly claimed one of its top-selling whiskies was "matured in American oak casks", when most of the product had not been matured.
Indian inspectors have seized around 18,000 boxes of Diageo liquor bottles due to missing markings indicating they were made from safe recycled plastic, a move that has raised serious food safety concerns. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) stated that the absence of these markings could mislead consumers regarding the safety of the alcoholic beverages.37
Diageo India confirmed the seizure, stating that some bottles have been quarantined until further direction from the FSSAI. The company emphasized, "Our products are completely safe for consumption ... We are engaging with FSSAI for further direction on this matter," according to a statement from United Spirits, a Diageo subsidiary.
FSSAI officials had previously visited United Spirits' factory in Bengaluru, where they found that while the bottles were made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), they lacked the mandatory recycled PET symbol that indicates food-grade safety. This regulatory action is part of a broader crackdown on misleading claims in the alcohol industry, which has recently affected several brands, including DSP Black Deluxe Whisky and Smirnoff Zesty Lime Triple Distilled Flavoured Vodka.125
The seized products are valued at approximately $1.6 million, and the FSSAI's actions come shortly after it barred two of Diageo's whisky brands for allegedly misleading consumers about the maturity of the liquor and the use of artificial flavoring. This crackdown has significant implications for India's $40 billion alcohol industry, which includes many popular Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) brands.
“The seizure, worth about $1.6 million, hit more than half a dozen brands including DSP Black Deluxe Whisky and Smirnoff Zesty Lime. It follows FSSAI's recent ban on two Diageo whiskies over misleading maturity claims, part of a broader crackdown jolting India's $40 billion alcohol industry.”
