After an eight-year tireless campaign by a Hyderabad-based pediatrician doctor, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has officially banned the use of the term ‘ORS’ (Oral Rehydration Solution) on food and beverage products, including in names, labels, or trademarks. The decision comes after growing concern that many parents were misled into believing that sweetened “hydration” or “electrolyte” drinks were true ORS, leading to worsening dehydration in children. These drinks contain nearly ten times more sugar than the amount recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), around 110–120 grams per litre compared to the WHO’s 13.5 grams, and are even sold in pharmacies as ORS.
Instead of helping with rehydration, such products can worsen diarrhoea, particularly in children who are more susceptible to fluid and electrolyte imbalances. India faces a serious diarrhoeal…
