The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued 75 notices to food business operators (FBOs) across the country for using the term ‘Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS)’ on products that do not meet World Health Organisation (WHO) standards, the Union government informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday (December 16).
Replying to a question by MP Sagarika Ghose, Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav said the action included improvement notices, suspension orders and showcause notices issued to defaulting operators in various States and Union Territories.
In Telangana, two such manufacturing units have been identified. These are Nutriors Apple located in Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, and Dr Reddy’s Rebalanz Vitors Electrolyte and Mineral Rich ORS Drink facility in Quthbullapur of Rangareddy district.
An official from the Telangana Food Safety department said both units fall under the central licensing authority. “Since these facilities are centrally licensed, the authority to issue notices rests with central agencies. From our side, the respective food safety officer inspected the facilities and the findings have been shared with the central authority,” the official said.
The Minister said the enforcement followed directions issued by the FSSAI to all food business operators to immediately remove brand or product names containing the term ‘ORS’ from all distribution channels, including e-commerce platforms. These directions were issued on October 14 and 15, mandating the immediate withdrawal of all earlier permissions granted to operators to use ‘ORS’ in conjunction with their brand names. The orders were the outcome of an eight-year effort led by Hyderabad-based paediatrician Sivaranjani Santosh, who had raised concerns about companies marketing sugary drinks under the guise of WHO-recommended ORS.
WHO prescribes a standard ORS with a total osmolarity of 245 mOsm/L, formulated with 2.6 gm of sodium chloride, 1.5 gm of potassium chloride, 2.9 gm of sodium citrate and 13.5 gm of dextrose anhydrous per litre of water.
Meanwhile, sugary beverages disguised as ORS by pharmaceutical companies contain around 120 gm of total sugar per litre, of which nearly 110 gm is added sugar. Their electrolyte composition is also misaligned with WHO specifications, supplying only 1.17 gm of sodium, 0.79 gm of potassium and 1.47 gm of chloride per litre.
