New Delhi, Aug. 4 -- Warehouses in Rajasthan have already lost more than five lakh cans and bottles of Red Bull, Sting and Campa Energy to state seizures, months before the industry's own 90 day deadline to rework packaging even arrives. The raids are the sharpest sign yet that India's beverage regulator has moved from warning letters to active market policing on what companies can call an energy drink.

The trigger was a set of show cause notices the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India sent on July 1 to six brands, Red Bull Energy Drink, PepsiCo's Adrenaline Rush and Sting, Reliance Consumer Products' Campa Energy Drink Gold Boost, Hell Energy, and Coca-Cola backed Monster Energy. The regulator's core objection is technical but ...