Fake ORS drinks expose a real problem

When a Hyderabad-based paediatrician took on billion-rupee beverage brands over their misuse of the term "ORS," it sounded like a medical dispute. It is much more than that. It is a story about how weak labelling rules and regulatory flip-flops can put lives at risk, and how, in the name of "consumer choice," companies often mislead rather than empower.

- SHREY MADAAN

Earlier this month, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued a decisive order: no food or beverage company may use the term "ORS" in product names, labels, or trademarks, even as a prefix or suffix. For many doctors who have long fought misleading "hydration" drinks, this was a breakthrough moment.

Why it matters is simple. Real ORS, oral rehydration solution, saves lives. It is a precisely balanced mix of glucose and salts recommended by the World Health Organization to treat dehydration, especially in children. But many drinks sold under the "ORS" label in Indian pharmacies and supermarkets contain up to ten times more sugar than the WHO formula. Rather than dehydrating children, these drinks can worsen dehydration, disrupt electrolyte balance and can lead to life threatening complications.

Doctors across India have seen it firsthand. At Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, a four-year-old child arrived dangerously dehydrated after being given "ORS water" for two days. Tests showed high sugar and low sodium levels, the parents had unknowingly used a sweetened drink sold online as an "ORS substitute." In such cases, the difference between life and death comes down to whether parents can trust the label on a bottle.