In a landmark move aimed at protecting consumers from misleading product claims, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has ordered all food business operators (FBOs) to immediately stop using the term “ORS” (Oral Rehydration Solution) on their product labels and advertisements.
The directive, issued on October 14, prohibits the use of the term “ORS” in any form — standalone, with prefixes or suffixes, or as part of trademarks — stating that such practices mislead consumers and violate the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
FSSAI’s order also withdraws earlier relaxations from July 2022 and February 2024, which had allowed limited use of the term with disclaimers. The regulator said these permissions had resulted in “false, deceptive, ambiguous and erroneous” representations that could endanger public health.
The move comes after a long and determined campaign by Dr Sivaranjani Santosh, a Hyderabad-based paediatrician, who spent the last eight years raising awareness about misleading “energy drinks” that falsely used the ORS label.
Speaking to ANI, Dr Santosh called the decision a “huge relief”, saying, “No child or adult will die now because of worsening diarrhoea caused by these so-called ORS drinks. ORS is meant to save lives, not worsen illness. Companies have cheated the public with deceptive labelling and unethical marketing for years.”
She emphasized that many such products, high in sugar, were harmful during diarrhoeal episodes and could worsen dehydration instead of treating it. “Something meant to rehydrate was actually making people sicker,” she said.
Dr Santosh, who faced personal and professional challenges during her campaign, filed a public interest litigation (PIL) against companies and authorities, demanding stricter enforcement of food safety standards. “I was meant to do this,” she said. “I couldn’t give up despite the pressure.”
With FSSAI’s latest directive, food companies across India must now remove the ‘ORS’ tag from their labels, advertisements, and trademarks. The order has been sent to all state and Union territory food safety commissioners and central licensing authorities to ensure strict compliance.
The decision marks a major victory for consumer safety and responsible labelling — and a testament to how one doctor’s persistence changed national policy.
