Hyderabad, October 17: In a landmark step towards protecting child health and ensuring consumer safety, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has banned beverage companies from using the term ‘Oral Rehydration Salts’ (ORS) on their products. The move marks the culmination of an eight-year relentless campaign by Hyderabad-based paediatrician Dr. Sivaranjani Santosh, who has been fighting against the misleading use of the ‘ORS’ label on sugary drinks.
Senior paediatrician Dr. Santosh has consistently emphasized that ORS is not just a drink but a specific medical formulation designed according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. It contains a precise balance of salts and glucose (dextrose) that enables rapid and effective absorption of fluids in the body. Mislabeling other beverages as ORS, she argues, puts children’s lives at risk by promoting the use of high-sugar drinks that can worsen diarrhoea instead of treating dehydration.
“The ORS tag must be reserved exclusively for WHO-compliant formulas. This decisive regulatory intervention will protect children,” Dr. Santosh said, calling the FSSAI directive a “big victory for public health.” She added that she and her team had directly questioned key regulatory authorities — including CDSCO, FSSAI, and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) — asking whether they wanted to risk future tragedies similar to the Madhya Pradesh incident, where several children died after consuming contaminated cough syrup.
Dr. Santosh’s journey has been a long and determined one. She has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Telangana High Court against deceptive marketing practices by beverage manufacturers. Over the years, she has persistently raised the issue with national health authorities, including the Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO), MOHFW, FSSAI, and Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda.
Explaining the issue further, Dr. Santosh said that for nearly a decade, she has personally seen children admitted with aggravated diarrhoea after consuming drinks labeled as ORS from medical stores. “ORS is a WHO-recommended medication that must receive approval from CDSCO, the drug regulatory body of the country. These so-called ORS-labelled drinks, high in sugar content, worsen diarrhoea and put children in danger. Such sugary beverages should never be given to children during diarrhoeal episodes — it is like replacing a life-saving solution with a sweetened drink during a crisis,” she explained.
Earlier, the FSSAI had permitted some companies to continue using the ORS tag, provided they included a disclaimer. Dr. Santosh strongly opposed this compromise, continuing her advocacy for stricter regulation. Her efforts gained widespread attention when one of her awareness videos on the issue went viral on social media, garnering over 3.3 million (33 lakh) views within weeks.
The FSSAI’s latest directive officially prohibits the use of the ‘ORS’ label by any beverage company, ensuring that only WHO-approved and CDSCO-authorized medical formulations can carry the name. This long-awaited decision marks a decisive step in curbing deceptive marketing and protecting vulnerable children from potentially harmful products masquerading as medical solutions.
