Mumbai, July 13: The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has prohibited the sale of the Austrian energy drink Red Bull after a complaint from a non-government organisation that it contained animal derivatives without adequate certification.

“We have received complaints that the product’s main ingredient taurine is an animal extract. We have, therefore, prohibited the sale of the drink till the company gets a certificate from a certified authority in the country that the drink does not contain any animal derivative,” FDA commissioner M. Ramesh Kumar said.

Red Bull is sold in 250-ml cans and the Austria-based company claims the drink boosts physical performance.

“This is a case of mislabelling. The product is sold under the vegetarian head,” said Ritesh Kumar, joint commissioner, vigilance.

“When we tested the product, we discovered that it contains taurine, which is derived from cattle. They (the company) say that taurine is synthetically derived, but we have asked them to give us details of the manufacturing process and prove their claim.”

The FDA wants the manufacturer, Red Bull Ltd, to change the labelling code to indicate that it is a non-vegetarian product. “We don’t have a problem with the product itself, but with its labelling. A green dot signifies that it is a vegetarian product. We want them to change it to a red dot,” Ramesh Kumar said.

He said according to information available with the FDA, taurine is an animal-origin product, produced by the synthesis of amino acids in the body.

Pharmacy blow

The FDA has cancelled the licence of the pharmacy of Somaiya Medical College after an investigation that revealed the pharmacist had supplied a psychotropic drug instead of the prescribed iron supplements to a woman. “We have also filed an FIR against the pharmacist,” an official said.