Doctor’s Eight-Year Fight Leads to Ban on Deceptive 'ORS' Labels
After a persistent eight-year campaign led by a Hyderabad-based pediatrician, India’s food regulator has taken decisive action against a dangerous marketing trend. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has prohibited beverage companies from using the term “ORS” on sugary drinks, a label that misled parents into giving their sick children harmful substitutes for legitimate medical solutions. For Dr. Sivaranjani Santosh, the victory is not just a regulatory change but a "people's win" for child safety.
The Hidden Danger in Rehydration Drinks
For nearly a decade, brightly packaged beverages with names including "ORS" were sold in pharmacies as rehydration solutions. To concerned parents seeking treatment for children with diarrhea, these drinks appeared to be the life-saving, WHO-approved Oral Rehydration Salts. However, their contents were vastly different and potentially harmful. While a genuine WHO-ORS formula contains a precise balance of salts and a small amount of glucose (13.5 grams per litre), many of these commercial drinks were packed with sugar—sometimes up to ten times the safe limit—and had dangerously low electrolyte levels. Instead of rehydrating a sick child, these beverages often worsened diarrhea and dehydration, a condition that remains a leading cause of death for children under five in India.
Long Road to Regulatory Change
Dr. Santosh’s crusade began when she witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of these deceptive products on her young patients. Her journey involved a multi-pronged approach that started with educating parents on social media about the difference between genuine ORS and sugary fakes. She then engaged with regulatory bodies, first approaching the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), which directed her to the FSSAI. In April 2022, the FSSAI issued an initial order banning the "ORS" label, but this was controversially reversed just three months later, allowing companies to continue using the term with a minuscule disclaimer. This setback prompted Dr. Santosh to escalate her fight, culminating in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in the Telangana High Court in September 2024.
Victory for Public Health and Parental Trust
The sustained public pressure and legal action finally yielded a conclusive result. On October 14, 2025, the FSSAI issued a clear and unambiguous advisory, reaffirming its earlier ban and ordering companies to immediately cease using "ORS" on any food or drink product labels and remove existing stock from the market. Dr. Santosh emphasizes that this outcome was a collective effort, powered by immense support from parents, fellow doctors, and journalists. While the ban is a monumental step, she stresses that the next phase is crucial. It requires widespread public awareness campaigns to educate people on how to identify and correctly prepare genuine ORS, ensuring this hard-won victory translates into saved lives across the nation.
