Daijiworld Media Network - Hyderabad
Hyderabad, Oct 20: In a landmark move to protect child health, India’s food regulator has banned the use of the term “ORS” in beverages that do not match the medically approved composition of oral rehydration solutions. The decision follows an eight-year-long campaign by Hyderabad paediatrician Dr Sivaranjini Santhosh, who exposed how misleading branding had put children’s lives at risk.
Dr Santhosh had documented several alarming cases where children suffering from diarrhoea and dehydration were administered drinks marketed as ORS but containing excessive sugar and inadequate electrolytes. “Even if a product carries the warning ‘not ORS’, people still think that it is one because that’s what the brand name suggests,” she explained. “Such drinks can actually worsen diarrhoea and lead to deaths if timely medical help isn’t sought.”
True ORS, as recognised by the World Health Organization, contains precise ratios of glucose, sodium chloride, and potassium chloride to enable effective water absorption in the body. Drinks with excess sugar, on the other hand, can have the opposite effect. “Any excess sugar pulls water back into the gut and worsens dehydration,” Dr Santhosh noted.
Her battle began eight years ago and was marked by challenges, including professional isolation and pressure from major companies. “People talked behind my back… even my family sometimes questioned whether it was worth it,” she recalled, referencing her fight against powerful firms like Johnson & Johnson and Dr Reddy’s.
Finally, in October 2025, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued an order banning any use of “ORS” in the branding or trademarks of non-medical beverages. The directive, effective immediately, mandates removal of such products from retail shelves, closing a long-standing regulatory loophole.
The issue carries deep public health significance. Diarrhoea remains one of the leading causes of death among children under five, and medically approved ORS has been a life-saving remedy for decades. “ORS is a medical product that has saved millions of lives,” said Dr Santhosh. “Around 13 per cent of deaths in children under five occur due to diarrhoea, and ORS is crucial in preventing these.”
The FSSAI’s decision, experts say, is not just a regulatory correction but a moral victory for public health advocacy. It serves as a reminder that marketing claims cannot replace medical efficacy — and for parents, the message is clear: only use medically approved ORS when treating dehydration in children.