Maharashtra to Ban Sale of Sting, Energy Drinks Within 500 Metres of Schools, Colleges

Mumbai, 3rd July 2026: The Maharashtra government on Friday announced that it will ban the sale of energy drinks such as Sting within a 500-metre radius of schools and colleges as part of a wider drive to curb the sale of unhealthy food and beverages around educational institutions.

Responding to a question raised by Daund MLA Rahul Kul in the Assembly, Food and Drug Administration Minister Narhari Zirwal said the government would launch a special statewide campaign against the sale of harmful energy drinks, flavoured tobacco products and food adulteration, particularly milk adulteration. He also announced that new food testing laboratories would be set up across the state to speed up action against violators.

Raising the issue during Question Hour, Kul said energy drinks such as Sting, harmful “cutting paan” products and flavoured milk beverages are being sold in large numbers near schools, especially in rural areas of Pune district and elsewhere in the state. He claimed complaints had been received about the use of artificial colours, excessive sugar and, in some cases, narcotic substances in such products, posing serious health risks to schoolchildren.

Kul urged the government to appoint an expert committee to examine the health impact of such products, impose restrictions on their sale near educational institutions and launch a statewide awareness campaign. He also raised concerns over milk adulteration, stating that most milk collection centres lack adequate testing facilities, and demanded stricter quality control measures.

Replying to the discussion, Zirwal said the state currently has three advanced food testing laboratories in Mumbai, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur. New laboratories are in the final stages of being set up in Pune, Nashik, Raigad and Yavatmal, while another 22 laboratories are being established under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.

The minister said the time taken to receive food sample test reports has already been reduced from nearly three months to one month and would be shortened further from next month to enable quicker action against offenders.

He added that companies found selling substandard or adulterated products would face stringent action, including recall of defective batches, and the names of such companies would be placed before the state legislature.