FSSAI orders removal of any products being sold under ORS brand

Food regulator FSSAI has asked states to remove fruit-based beverages, ready-to-serve drinks and electrolyte drinks being sold deceptively under the product or brand name ORS from retail markets, according to sources. Last month, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had directed all food business operators to immediately stop using the word 'ORS' (Oral Rehydration Solution) in their labelling and advertisements, calling such practices misleading to consumers. In a letter dated November 19, FSSAI has written to all food commissioners in states and Union Territories for "immediate removal of misleading and deceptively" named fruit-based beverages, ready to serve drinks, electrolyte drinks and energy drinks being sold in the brand/product name containing terms 'ORS' from retail outlets and e-commerce platforms.
FSSAI has instructed officers to carry out immediate inspections on e-commerce platforms and retail outlets to identify food products that violate the orders by using the term "ORS". If found, these products must be removed from sale, and regulatory action must be taken against the companies involved. Officers must also send a detailed action taken report to FSSAI, listing inspections, violations, and the status of product removal. The authority instructed all officers to make sure there is no interference in the storage, distribution or sale of WHO-recommended ORS drug products. Enforcement activities must only target non-compliant food products that are falsely using the term "ORS".
On October 31, the Delhi High Court had said it would not interfere with the decision of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) prohibiting the use of the term "ORS" on beverages, observing that counterfeit or misleading ORS-labelled products pose a serious risk to public health. The Bench noted that public health must take precedence over commercial considerations and clarified that a detailed judgment will follow. The observation was made while hearing a petition filed by Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, which had challenged the FSSAI's notification barring the manufacture and sale of drinks bearing the expression "ORS" (Oral Rehydration Solution) in their brand names or trademarks.