,"The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a clarification dated 15 October 2025 (Ref. No. RCD-15001/6/2021-Regulatory-FSSAI [E-1475]) regarding its earlier order of 14 October 2025, which withdraws all prior permissions allowing the use of the term “ORS” (Oral Rehydration Solution) along with brand names of food products.
This latest clarification supersedes and withdraws two previous FSSAI orders—dated 14 July 2022 and 2 February 2024—which had permitted the use of the term “ORS” on food labels as part of trademarks or product names, provided they carried a mandatory declaration stating, “The product is NOT an ORS formula as recommended by WHO.”
Upon further regulatory review, FSSAI has now determined that the use of “ORS” in any form—whether in a trademark, prefix, suffix, or product name—on any category of food product (including fruit-based drinks, non-carbonated beverages, or ready-to-drink formulations) constitutes a violation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and related regulations.
The authority clarified that such practices mislead consumers through deceptive and ambiguous labelling, suggesting therapeutic or medical properties that are not compliant with standards for Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
FSSAI cited multiple provisions under which these practices are prohibited, including:
Sections 23 and 24 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006
Sub-regulations 4(3) and 5(1) of the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020
Sub-regulations 4(1) and 4(13) of the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising & Claims) Regulations, 2018
Violations under these provisions render such products misbranded and misleading, attracting penalties under Sections 52 and 53 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
The Direction under Section 16(5) regarding misleading advertisement and marketing of ORS substitute products, issued earlier on 8 April 2022, will continue to remain in force.
Accordingly, FSSAI has directed all Food Business Operators (FBOs) to immediately remove the term “ORS”—whether used independently, in combination with other words, or as part of a trademark—from their food product labels and promotional materials. All FBOs must ensure strict compliance with the labelling and advertisement regulations under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
The clarification, signed by Ms. Sweety Behera, Director (Regulatory Compliance), has been issued with the approval of the Competent Authority and communicated to all State/UT Food Safety Commissioners and Central Licensing Authorities for necessary enforcement"
Consumer News Region