Old Monk sales ban: Rum maker withdraws court action, agrees to revise labels after FSSAI objections | Today’s news
Mohan Rocky Springwater Breweries Pvt Ltd, maker of the Old Monk rum brand, has withdrawn its petition in the Bombay High Court challenging sales restrictions imposed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on labeling and product descriptions of certain variants.
The FSSAI objected to the use of the term “rum” on products containing added flavorings and ordered that they be labeled and marketed as “rum flavored spirit”. The regulator also raised concerns about descriptions such as “7 Years Old Blended” and “Very Old Vatted”.
The authority banned the sale and distribution of several Old Monk products manufactured at the company’s Khopoli plant.
Manufacturer Old Monk agrees to revise product labels
During Thursday’s hearing, a bench headed by Chief Justice Maheshchandra Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna was informed by the company that it will revise the product labels and submit updated versions to FSSAI for approval.
The company’s decision to withdraw its proposal follows a court refusal to grant an injunction against the regulator’s order.
Why has FSSAI restricted the sale of certain Old Monk products?
The dispute centers on the classification and labeling of certain variants of the old monk. FSSAI’s objection was that products containing added flavorings should be described as “rum flavored spirit” rather than “rum”.
The regulator also questioned the use of age-related descriptions and products such as “7 Years Old Blended” and “Very Old Vatted”.
The sales and distribution restrictions applied to several products manufactured at the company’s Khopoli plant.
The old monk maker already quoted ₹Loss of revenue from consumption tax 350 million
The brewer previously claimed that the sales cut led to a loss of more than ₹350 crore in excise revenue for the Maharashtra government.
After the Bombay High Court refused to grant interim relief against FSSAI’s order, the company decided not to pursue the case on merits and withdrew its petition.
The court subsequently dealt with the matter.