FSSAI Implements Strict Rule: Only WHO-Approved Formulations Can Be Labelled as 'ORS'

In a bold step, India's FSSAI has ruled that only those products that comply with the World Health Organization's (WHO) certified formula can be labeled and marketed as "Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS)." This new order, dated October 14, revokes the old orders that permitted the use of "ORS" in brand names with a qualification. The regulation seeks to check deceptive marketing by businesses that sell flavoured beverages and electrolyte drinks as ORS alternatives, which do not contain the essential glucose content that would make the solution medically useful. Pediatricians have welcomed the ban, pointing out that original ORS is a lifesaving solution, promoting that any modification makes it useless in the management of dehydration.