India’s Supreme Court seeks gov response on plea to ban Tetra Pack spirits

The Supreme Court of India is currently evaluating a plea seeking to ban the sale of spirits in Tetra Packs and sachets, arguing that labels like “green apple vodka” or “mango vodka” are deceptive, and spur dangerous drinking. 

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court sought responses on the issue from the national government, as well as leading alcohol company Globus Spirits and beverage manufacturer Wave Distilleries and Breweries.

A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancoli agreed to hear the petition filed by the NGO ‘Community Against Drunken Driving’. 

Vipin Nair, a representative of the organisation, said the definition of bottle was “vague” under the excise regime, and called for more standardisation. 

“Unlike tobacco, there is no warning. These packs are fruit juices but has vodka with pictures of apples. Chelly mango vodka etc,” he said, arguing that the State has a duty to protect its citizens.

‘Deceptive’ labelling

The Court claimed that alcohol sold in Tetra Packs and sachets is “very deceptive,” as is often sold under misleading labels like “mango vodka” or “green apple vodka”. The anti-drunk-driving organisation believes this heightens the risk of dangerous alcohol-related activities, like underage drinking and drunk driving.

After hearing Nair’s statement, the CJI-led bench agreed to examine the NGO’s plea for a country-wide standardisation of excise policy for packaging and bottling of booze.

The Supreme Court said the problem is the “very deceptive” packaging which could lead some to mistakenly believe that the  packs contained fruit juice.

‘Misleading customers’

The Times of India published greater detail on the Community Against Drunken Driving’s campaign. “These packages pose various risks, including consumption by juveniles, drinking in a moving vehicle, health risks, increased ease of smuggling, ease of public consumption, and environmental risks,” the NGO told the publication.

It added that the Tetra Packs have attractive packaging with vivid colours but do not have prominent health warnings like in the case of cigarettes, which would dissuade people from drunken driving and responsible drinking.

“Such packaging, being deceptively similar to fruit juices, facilitates easy access and concealment, encourages underage consumption, promotes public drinking and drunk driving, and even enables smuggling across State borders,” the organisation added. “It is alarming to note that these Tetra Packs are marketed under labels such as ‘Bunty Premium Vodka’, ‘Chilli Mango Vodka’ and ‘Premium Romanov Vodka – Apple Thrill’ clearly intended to mislead consumers.”

NGO suggests solution

The organisation added that the use of fruit names alongside colourful photos of fruit reflects a “deliberate marketing strategy” to pass off alcoholic drinks as fruit juices in order to evade scrutiny and target underage consumers.

The NGO said the problem could be solved by the Union government which can guide the states to adopt an uniform liquor packaging policy that would forbid sales in tetra packs, and enable consumers to drink them in public places without any legal repercussions.

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