Alcohol consumption in India is on the rise. The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (‘FSS Act”) defines food (which includes alcoholic beverages), thereby bringing alcoholic beverages within Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) regulatory ambit. The Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations, 2018 (“FSS Regulations”) is the principal regulation governing this sector. The recent amendments in FSS Regulations have brought a major change in the alcohol beverage sector.
The alcohol beverage sector is primarily governed by FSS Regulations. These regulations have been made by FSSAI exercising the power granted under Section 92 of FSS Act to make regulations for implementing the provisions of the Act. These regulations have undergone periodic amendments to keep pace with the industry’s developments.
The amendment has introduced alcoholic ready-to-drink (“RTD”) beverages. RTD beverages are defined as flavoured beverages containing more than 0.5 per cent and up to 15.0 per cent alcohol by volume (“ABV”). These beverages are made from spirit or a mixture of spirits or any alcoholic beverage as a base, adding natural, nature-identical, or artificial flavours and permitted food additives. They may also include fruit or vegetable juice, herbs, or spices, with or without added sugar, caloric sweeteners, or salt, and can be carbonated. Carbonated RTDs must contain a minimum of one volume of carbon dioxide and adhere to the specifications outlined in TABLE-4 of the FSS Regulations.
Further, the amendment introduced country liquor or Indian liquor. Country liquor or Indian liquor is defined as alcoholic beverage obtained from distillation of fermentable carbohydrates of agricultural origin, establishing two distinct categories (plain country liquor or plain Indian liquor and blended country liquor or blended Indian liquor). Plain country liquor or plain Indian liquor shall be made from alcoholic distillate obtained from fermented molasses, jaggery (Gur), mash of cereals, potato, cassava, fruits, juice or sap of coconut and palm trees, mahua flowers or any other carbohydrates of agricultural origin. Blended country liquor or blended Indian liquor is a blend of an alcoholic distillate, rectified spirit or neutral spirit. Both categories must conform to the requirements specified in Part 1 and Table-1 of FSS Regulations.
The amendments also introduce two beverage categories namely nitro craft beer and honey wine (mead). Honey wine or mead is a wine produced from the fermentation of an aqueous solution of honey by yeasts without addition of any other carbohydrate source. It may contain herbs, spices or natural flavourings. Nitro craft beer is the craft beer having the mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen gas.
The amendment also introduced Annexure-1 which provides the list of Indian liquors (distilled liquors). This annexure comprises of a table listing various Indian alcoholic products, categorized by their raw materials, along with the specific product category they must comply with.
There is bifurcated timeline for the compliance of provisions provided in the amendment. The provisions relating to product standards, composition, and quality parameters came into force on January 1, 2026. FSSAI exercised its powers under Section 16(5) of the FSS Act to extend the enforcement date for labelling provisions to July 1, 2026, as formally notified through a Direction dated November 27, 2025.
Afterwards, FSSAI issued a clarification on January 6, 2026, wherein July 1, 2026 was declared as the annual compliance date for all labelling amendments under the FSS Regulations, subject to a minimum transition period of 365 days from the date of notification.
The FSS Regulations as amended in 2025, provide labelling requirements for alcoholic beverages sold in India. These requirements operate in addition to the general labelling provisions specified in the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011.
Every package containing alcoholic beverages must provide specific mandatory information on the label. The alcohol content shall be expressed as percentage ABV or as proof, enabling consumers to make informed consumption decisions. The regulations provide for labelling of standard drink, which is defined as the beverage that contains 12.7 ml of ABV as measured at 20°C. The label may include a statement of the approximate number of standard drinks in the package. Every alcoholic beverage label must carry a statutory warning in English, stating "Consumption of Alcohol is Injurious to Health. Be Safe - Don't Drink and Drive." The size of the statutory warning shall not be less than 1.5 mm for pack sizes up to 200 ml, and not less than 3 mm for pack sizes above 200 ml.
The 2025 amendments introduced several new product categories, each with specific labelling requirements reflecting their unique characteristics. For alcoholic RTD beverages, manufacturers must clearly identify the product category and declare alcohol content ranging from more than 0.5 per cent to up to 15.0 per cent ABV, as these beverages now fall under Table-4 requirements of FSS Regulations. Wine products attract additional specific labelling requirements. The label must indicate the origin (country or state) of wine and declare the range of sugar content. If claims are made, the label must declare the generic name of variety of grape or fruit used in descending order of quantity, geographic origin, and vintage year. Where 75 per cent of the grapes come from a particular place, region or sub-region, the label must carry that name. Similarly, if wine is made from at least 75 per cent from a specific grape variety, the label must carry the name of that grape variety. For vintage wines, if at least 85 per cent of the wine comes from a particular vintage, the label must carry that vintage date. Wine labels must also declare the name of residues of preservatives or additives present in the final product in their original or modified forms. Critical allergen warnings are mandatory. If egg white or isinglass as fining or clarifying agents are used and residues remain in the final product, this must be declared on the label with a non-vegetarian logo. For the newly recognized nitro craft beer category, labels must identify the product as containing a mixture of gas, distinguishing it from regular craft beer.
The amendments create strong market opportunities. The growth in alcohol beverage sector is likely to be driven by changing consumer preferences, rising urban demand for RTD beverages, higher disposable incomes supporting premium products, and younger consumers looking for new and innovative beverage options.
For manufacturers and food business operators, the labelling relaxation until July 1, 2026 gives time to make operational changes. These include reviewing existing labels against the new FSSAI requirements, designing news labels with all mandatory declarations and planning inventory use in a way to reduce waste of existing packaging material.
For importers of alcoholic beverages, the amendments bring both benefits and practical issues. The validity of the No Objection Certificate has been extended to 365 days for beverages containing more than 10 per cent alcohol content. This instruction pertains to the validity of No Objection Certificates for imported alcoholic beverages, specifically those bottled at origin and in bulk, containing over 10 per cent alcohol and lacking an expiry date. This is an ease of business measure because it reduces the need for frequent renewals and related administrative work.
For consumers, the amendments provide a wider product range with the addition of certain new categories. They also improve quality assurance through stricter FSSAI standards for safety and consistency. Further, they increase transparency through detailed labelling requirements, including mandatory alcohol content declarations for better portion control, allergen information for sensitive individuals, and statutory warnings to support informed decisions.
The 2025 amendments to the FSS Regulations represent a significant development in the regulation of alcoholic beverages in India. The changes are important not only because they introduce new product categories such as alcoholic RTDs, nitro craft beer, honey wine, but also because they bring greater clarity to the legal and compliance framework governing this sector. The amendments seek to balance market development with consumer protection. On one hand, they recognise evolving industry trends and open the door for innovation, product diversification and wider market participation. On the other hand, they strengthen the framework by prescribing clear standards relating to product classification, composition, safety and labelling.
The phased implementation of labelling requirements is particularly significant. By extending the timeline for labelling compliance until July 1, 2026, FSSAI has acknowledged the practical difficulties faced by businesses in updating packaging, managing inventory and aligning with related state-level requirements.
The amendments create a more structured and transparent regime for alcoholic beverages. These changes are, therefore, likely to have a lasting impact on both compliance practices and market growth.
About the authors: Ashutosh Das is a Senior Partner and Yukta Goel is an Associate at Hammurabi & Solomon Partners.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s). The opinions presented do not necessarily reflect the views of Bar & Bench.
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