FSSAI bans old monk: Why did regulator stop sale of three variants of the popular Rum?

The government has clarified that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has initiated enforcement action against certain alcoholic beverage manufacturers, including makers of select Old Monk rum variants, over alleged violations of food safety regulations.

In a statement, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) said the action relates to the use of flavouring substances that mimic the characteristic aroma and taste of standardised alcoholic beverages such as rum and whisky, as well as allegedly misleading age-related claims on product labels.

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Why did regulator ban Old Monk variants?

According to FSSAI, the characteristic taste and aroma of alcoholic beverages are expected to develop naturally through the base ingredients, fermentation, distillation, maturation and other recognised manufacturing processes. For instance, rum derives its profile from ingredients such as molasses, while whisky develops its characteristics from malt and ageing.

However, the regulator said some manufacturers were found to be adding external flavouring substances that mimic the inherent aroma and taste of standardised alcoholic beverages and marketing them as regular rum or whisky. FSSAI alleged that these manufacturers primarily used neutral or extra neutral alcohol, which lacks a distinct flavour profile, and then added flavour externally to recreate the expected characteristics of the beverage.

The statement of the ministry said that these products should instead be labelled as "rum-flavoured spirit" or "whisky-flavoured spirit" where applicable, adding that front-of-pack labels must clearly indicate the true nature of the product under the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020.

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FSSAI said laboratory testing of rum and whisky samples from multiple manufacturers found the presence of artificial or nature-identical flavours, leading laboratories to classify the products as sub-standard. The regulator cited laboratory findings stating that "the addition of artificial flavours is masking its natural flavour and making the product substandard". It also noted that failing to describe such products as "flavoured" or "premix" variants on labels could mislead consumers.

Separately, FSSAI said the "7 years old blended" claim on an Old Monk XXX Rum variant was found to be misleading. According to the regulator, neutral (unaged) spirit constituted the major ingredient in the product, while matured rum made up less than 5% of the blend. FSSAI said this violated the Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations, 2018, which require age statements to be based on the youngest spirit used in the blend.

What does the action mean?

In a statement on PIB, the regulator has said conditional revocation has been issued. "For the existing stock in hand they have been allowed to sell the product by revealing the true nature of the product on the front of the pack whereas for future production a clear direction has been passed as to not add identical flavour in the product, such as rum flavour or whisky flavour," the statement read.