India has updated its food safety rules for ready to drink alcoholic beverages formally defining nitro beers, meads, and strong beers. Craft brewers may need to adjust their labelling and formulations by 2026 to comply

India’s Food Safety & Standards Authority (FSSAI) has officially gazetted the Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) First Amendment Regulations, 2025 on 23 June. The new rules update previous legislation and refine definitions and composition requirements for emerging categories in the Indian alcoholic beverage industry, including ready to drink beverages (RTDs) such as mead, craft and nitro beverages.

The new rules take effect from 1 January 2026, although the rules grant the industry 18 months to complete their transition.

Nitro craft beers are now given a formal definition as beers infused with a blend of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, with specified minimum carbonation volumes. Although existing regulations for traditional beers remain unchanged, the formal inclusion of nitrogenated variants in the legislation will necessitate compliance with the new carbonation metrics.

Alcoholic RTDs are defined as flavoured alcoholic drinks with 0.5–15% ABV, using spirits as a base. They may include those drinks using juices, spices, sweeteners, carbonation, and additives permitted under other food standards. Mead or honey wine, for example, is defined as fermented honey solutions without other carbohydrate additions. Brews are also formally recognised that use a range of herbs, spices, and other additives that are given specific quality standards.

The impact on the craft brewing sector of the new rules is that beer producers must update labels, formulations, and quality protocols to adhere to the new revised standards. This includes adopting the new definitions for RTDs and meads where applicable.

By codifying nitro craft beers and other niche categories, FSSAI’s 2025 amendment is intended to offer a clearer, more inclusive framework for India’s evolving beer landscape by supporting innovation while safeguarding quality under the new regulatory horizon. Brewers will need to launch nitro‐infused ales, stouts and porters, or experiment with strong craft lagers, without breaching carbonation or ABV rules.