FSSAI bans use of 'ORS' brand name on non-compliant health drinks

In a major regulatory move, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has barred food and beverage companies from using the term ‘Oral Rehydration Salts’ (ORS) on their products unless they strictly comply with World Health Organisation (WHO) standards.

The order, issued on October 14, directs the immediate withdrawal of all prior approvals that had permitted the use of ‘ORS’ as part of brand names. It also cancels earlier circulars from July 2022 and February 2024 that allowed brands to use the term with a disclaimer stating the product was ‘Not an ORS formula as recommended by WHO.’

A day later, on October 15, the regulator issued a clarification reiterating that using ‘ORS’ in the name of any fruit-based, non-carbonated, or ready-to-drink beverage violates the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. FSSAI stated that such labeling ‘misleads consumers by way of false, deceptive, ambiguous, and erroneous names or label declarations,’ and therefore breaches multiple provisions under the Act.

The order noted, “In view of the above, all Food Business Operators are directed to remove the word "ORS" from their food products, whether used as a standalone term or in combination with any prefix/suffix or as part of the trademark with prefix/suffix in the product name and to ensure strict compliance with the labelling and advertisement requirements prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the regulations framed thereunder.”

The decision follows a long-standing campaign by Hyderabad-based pediatrician Dr. Sivaranjani Santosh, who has been advocating against the misleading marketing of sugar-rich beverages as ORS for nearly a decade.

In 2022, she filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Telangana High Court, arguing that many so-called ORS drinks failed to meet WHO-recommended levels of electrolytes and glucose.

According to WHO standards, an authentic oral rehydration solution should have a total osmolarity of 245 mOsm/L and contain 2.6 grams of sodium chloride, 1.5 grams of potassium chloride, 2.9 grams of sodium citrate, and 13.5 grams of dextrose per litre of water. However, Dr, Santosh noted that several commercial products labeled as ORS contain nearly 120 grams of sugar per litre, mostly added sugar, and fall short on essential electrolytes.

Reacting to the development, Dr. Santosh described the FSSAI order as the result of years of persistence. She said it had been “a war, eight years of battle, three years of filing PILs, and four to five years of fighting indifference,” and added that the victory belonged “not to one person, but to people’s power, all the doctors, advocates, moms, and influencers who stood with me. I stood steadfast, and we won,”, as noted in the media report.