The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed all states and Union Territories to immediately remove from shelves various beverages that are misusing the term "ORS" (Oral Rehydration Salts) on their labels. This action follows previous orders issued on October 14 and 15, 2025, which withdrew permission for food and beverage companies to use "ORS" in their product names, whether as a standalone term or with prefixes and suffixes.
The FSSAI has observed that many companies are still violating these orders by selling non-compliant products in various outlets, including e-commerce platforms, grocery stores, pharmacies, supermarkets, and other modern trade locations, thereby contravening the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
To address this widespread malpractice, state and UT authorities are instructed to conduct immediate inspection and verification drives. These drives aim to identify products that do not comply with the regulations, ensure their prompt removal from sale, and initiate regulatory actions against the offending parties. Furthermore, the FSSAI requires a detailed report on the actions taken, including the number of inspections conducted, the violations discovered, the corrective measures implemented, and the current status of product removal. This report must be submitted to FSSAI as soon as possible.
The FSSAI has clarified that the crackdown does not extend to genuine Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) products that adhere to WHO recommendations and are classified as drugs under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. These legitimate ORS products, which are used for treating dehydration and managing diarrhea, fall outside the jurisdiction of the FSSAI and should not be targeted during the inspection drives. The authority addressed reports of enforcement teams mistakenly targeting legitimate ORS products, emphasizing that the current directive strictly applies to food and beverage items that are misleadingly marketed as ORS, and not to actual medical ORS formulations.
