New Delhi, November 20 — The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed state food safety departments to immediately remove drinks falsely marketed as “ORS” from retail shelves and e-commerce platforms, warning that such products pose serious health risks and can worsen dehydration.
The action comes after FSSAI observed that many fruit beverages, ready-to-serve drinks and electrolyte drinks continue to use “ORS” in their brand names despite a ban issued in April 2022 — and reinforced again last month — restricting the use of the term exclusively to WHO-recommended Oral Rehydration Salts formulations.
In a communication to state authorities, the regulator instructed officers to seize non-compliant products and submit detailed action-taken reports outlining inspections, violations detected, and enforcement steps undertaken.
FSSAI’s renewed push follows a Delhi High Court judgment refusing Johnson & Johnson subsidiary JNTL Consumer Health permission to continue selling existing stock of such products. The order prompted the regulator to tighten enforcement of its ban on misleading branding.
The authority simultaneously cautioned state officials against targeting genuine WHO-prescribed ORS products, which are classified as drugs and regulated by the drug regulator—not FSSAI.
The order states that some field officers have wrongly stopped the sale of authentic ORS powders mixed with water for treating diarrhoea. FSSAI clarified that enforcement must focus solely on food products “misleadingly marketed as ORS,” and no sampling or seizure of approved ORS formulations should occur.
Why Fake ORS Is Dangerous
Health experts warn that these misleading beverages can exacerbate dehydration instead of treating it. True WHO ORS formulations contain precise glucose-electrolyte ratios that enable the body to absorb water effectively. Drinks with excess sugar can pull water into the gut, worsening diarrhoea—especially in children under five, among whom diarrhoeal diseases remain a major cause of death.
A Long-Running Compliance Issue
While the use of “ORS” by food and beverage companies was first prohibited in April 2022, a subsequent relaxation allowed companies to retain the term if they added disclaimers stating they were not ORS solutions. This loophole led to persistent misuse and consumer confusion, prompting the latest crackdown.
