India’s food safety regulator, FSSAI, has once again taken strict action against drinks that wrongly use the word ORS on their labels. On November 20, the authority told officers across the country to quickly inspect shops and online platforms and pull down any drink that uses ORS in its brand name.

This includes fruit drinks, energy drinks, electrolyte drinks, and ready-to-serve beverages that still carry the ORS tag.

The order came because some companies continue selling these products even after clear instructions were issued in mid-October.

FSSAI reminded that on October 14, it banned all food and drink companies from using ORS in any form, as a brand name, prefix, or suffix. The next day, a clarification said ORS can only appear on labels if the product meets the strict WHO standards for medical oral rehydration solutions.

The regulator said the continued sale of these drinks breaks the Food Safety and Standards ActFSSAI Launches Countrywide Crackdown on Fake ‘ORS’ Drinks, 2006. Officers have now been told to start inspections at once. If any drink is found using ORS in its name without meeting WHO norms, it must be removed immediately, and action must be taken against the manufacturer. Officers must also send detailed reports on what they found and which products were taken down.

FSSAI also made it clear that this crackdown is only for food and beverage products, not for real ORS medical formulations that follow WHO rules.

The issue reached the Delhi High Court earlier. On October 31, the court refused to stop FSSAI’s restrictions, saying that fake or misleading ORS-labelled drinks can be dangerous for public health. The bench said consumer safety is more important than companies’ business concerns. A detailed order is expected later.

This case began after Dr Reddy’s Laboratories challenged the ban. FSSAI has said many times that ORS is a medical formulation, not a marketing term, and it can only be used for products that match the exact WHO composition meant to treat dehydration.