FSSAI orders immediate removal of mislabelled ‘ORS’ drinks from markets

As misleading health labels continue to confuse consumers, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a fresh directive asking states and union territories to immediately pull from shelves all fruit-based drinks, electrolyte beverages, ready-to-serve juices and energy drinks that use the term ‘ORS’ or imply they are oral rehydration salts.

The authority said many products were still being sold with ‘ORS’ labels, despite repeated orders withdrawing this permission. The term is strictly reserved for WHO-recommended ORS, which is a medical solution used to treat dehydration caused by diarrhoea, vomiting or heat.

It contains a precise mix of salts and glucose that helps the body absorb fluids quickly and safely. It is a medicine, not a juice or energy drink.

In its fresh order, the FSSAI reminded states of its earlier directives from October 14 and 15, which clearly prohibited companies from using ‘ORS’ in brand names, labels or product descriptions.

In the letter, the FSSAI said it had “come to their notice that certain fruit-based beverages, ready-to-serve drinks, electrolyte drinks and similar products continue to be marketed and sold containing the term ‘ORS’ in violation of the orders.”

The regulator has now instructed state authorities to carry out checking across retail stores, supermarkets, pharmacies and online platforms and remove all non-compliant products from sale.

It has also asked them to initiate regulatory action against companies using the term illegally and submit an action-taken report to the authority.

At the same time, the FSSAI has issued a clear warning to ensure genuine ORS medicines are not disturbed during enforcement drives.

The order says, “All food safety officers, designated officers, and state/UT food safety authorities shall ensure that no interference is made with the storage, distribution or sale of WHO-recommended ORS (drug) products… and no sampling, seizure or lifting of WHO-recommended ORS (drug) products shall be carried out.”

This is the latest in a series of directions issued by the FSSAI over the past month to stop companies from misusing the ORS label. On October 14, the authority withdrew all permissions allowing food businesses to use ‘ORS’ in any form, including as part of brand names.

The following day, it issued a clarification stating that even products using prefixes or suffixes with the term, such as ‘fruit ORS’, ‘energy ORS’ or similar variants, violate the Food Safety and Standards Act.

Despite these repeated warnings, the FSSAI said many such products continued to appear on retail shelves and online platforms.