New Delhi, Oct. 2 -- PepsiCo India and Monster Energy India have moved court, challenging the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) over its order restricting the use of the term "energy drink" on its high-caffeine beverages. This comes amid FSSAI's regulatory crackdown targeting packaged food and beverage companies across the country.

The food safety regulator issued a directive on June 30 asking companies to stop using the term "energy drink" and similar descriptions for beverages containing high levels of caffeine. Companies were given 90 days to remove the disputed descriptions from their products and packaging.

Following the directive, several states began seizing stocks bearing the affected labels, according to cour...