FSSAI Revokes Ban on 11 Liquor Varieties by Chennai Distiller

In a swift reversal, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has revoked its prohibition order against 11 Indian-made foreign liquor varieties produced by Chennai-based manufacturer Enrica Enterprises Pvt Ltd. The decision came on Friday, three days after the ban was initially issued, following an assurance from the distiller that it would ensure compliance within 30 days.

The regulatory action began when the FSSAI southern regional office issued prohibitory orders on August 11 against the 11 liquor varieties supplied by Enrica Enterprises. The order was issued following an inspection at the company's manufacturing unit, which revealed that the distiller had used nature-identical and artificial flavouring substances.

Based on the FSSAI's initial communication, the state prohibition and excise commissionerate wrote to the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) on Thursday, instructing it to stop procuring the 11 varieties from Enrica Enterprises and to halt sales across retail shops.

Retail sales were stopped on Friday morning. However, on the same day, the FSSAI issued a fresh communication revoking the prohibition order after the manufacturer appealed the decision and promised compliance. The prohibition commissioner subsequently communicated the revocation to the Tasmac management.

Officials noted that following the appeal and commitment from the company, the prohibition was lifted and the food safety authority instead issued an improvement notice to the distiller.