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Taking a big step, FSSAI has ordered to immediately remove all those beverages being sold in the market and e-commerce platforms which are using the word ORS in their name.
New Delhi. If you have seen any drink with ORS written on it in the shop in the name of drinking cold, cold or sweet drinks, then be alert now. It is possible that some fruit juice drinks, energy drinks, electrolyte drinks and ready-to-serve drinks are being sold to you under the pretext of ORS. To end this game, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India i.e. FSSAI has come into action mode. Orders have been issued to immediately remove such drinks being sold across the country, which were being offered by companies in the name of ORS, from the market and online platforms.
It is wrong to write ORS in the name of a food or drink brand.
FSSAI has bluntly said that the term ORS can be used only for genuine ORS prescribed by WHO, which fall in the drug category. Therefore, writing ORS in the name of any food or drink brand is a violation of the law. This action was intensified when it was revealed that despite the instructions given earlier (14 and 15 October), many companies continued to sell misleading products with the name ORS. Such products were still available in many stores, supermarkets and online platforms, increasing consumer confusion between genuine ORS and counterfeit ‘ORS’ drinks.
FSSAI issued order for all states
FSSAI has ordered all states and union territories to immediately inspect e-commerce platforms and shops. Besides, instructions have been given to remove wrong products, take regulatory action against the companies and send reports.
Rules not applicable to WHO-standard ORS medicines
This campaign is the result of an 8-year-long fight by Dr. Sivaranjani Santosh, a pediatrician. Santosh continuously campaigned against selling sweet drinks as ORS. FSSAI has also made it clear that this rule does not apply to genuine WHO-standard ORS medicines. The original ORS should not be confiscated. It comes in the pharmaceutical category and its sale is completely legal and controlled.
