Maharashtra Orders Halt to Energy Drink Sales Within 500 Metres of Schools

Shops within a 500-metre radius of any school in Maharashtra will no longer be allowed to sell energy drinks such as 'Sting' or other intoxicating substances, under a prohibition the state government announced on Friday as a child-health protection measure.

The announcement came from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Minister Narhari Zirwal, who was answering a question put by BJP MLA Vikram Pachpute during Question Hour in the Legislative Assembly. Zirwal told the House that existing laws would be used to take strict action against anyone caught selling harmful food products or caffeine-rich beverages close to educational institutions.

"The concerns regarding the sale of 'Sting' energy drink in and around school premises are valid to some extent. If the sale of such energy drinks or any other intoxicating substances is found within 500 metres of a school campus, immediate action will be taken," the minister said.

Pachpute was not the only legislator pressing the government on the issue. MLAs Rahul Kul and Varun Sardesai also urged tighter curbs on children's access to energy drinks, and Pachpute asked whether the state would go further and bar sales of such beverages to anyone under 18.

According to Zirwal, the relevant authorities have already been instructed to stop the sale of food items and caffeine-heavy drinks judged harmful to children in and around school grounds. Enforcement will also lean on the community: parents, teachers, headmasters and Zilla Parishads have been asked to flag violations to the FDA so that legal action can follow quickly.

The minister paired the ban with a plan to expand the state's testing capacity. Maharashtra currently runs food and drug testing laboratories in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagpur and Mumbai. New facilities are planned for Raigad, Nashik, Yavatmal and Pune, and a further 22 laboratories are to be set up under the public-private partnership (PPP) model to speed up the analysis of food samples.

Zirwal also disclosed enforcement figures. Between April 2025 and May 2026, the FDA analysed 27 samples of Sting energy drink, of which 10 complied with the prescribed standards. Across April 2025 to March 2026, the agency tested 115 samples of various energy drinks: 63 met quality standards, one was found substandard, six were declared misbranded, and analysis of the remainder is still underway.