• Source:JND
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In a major step to overhaul medical standards in the city, the FSSAI has directed all states/UTs Commissioners of Food Safety and all Central Licensing Authorities to drop the name ‘ORS’ from their product packaging if the compounds prescribed by the World Health Organisation are absent in the powder. 

ORS is mainly used to provide relief in cases related to Diarrhoea and is widely available in the medical market of India. This widespread availability has led major pharma companies to dupe customers by selling regular drinks, juices and powders in the name of Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS). Branding products with ORS often misleads consumers into buying these products due to their medical benefits.  

FSSAI said that duping the customers on the basis of branding violated Sections 23 and 24 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Violation of these acts can draw penalties under Sections 52 and 53 of the Act. The ban is levied on all drinks carrying ‘ORS’ in suffix or prefix like Cool-ORS, FruitORS, ORS-Plus, ORSL etc.

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Telangana Paediatrician Feels ‘Relieved’ From FSSAI Rules

Welcoming the move of FSSAI, Dr Sivaranjani Santosh, a paediatrician based in Telangana, said that no child or adult will die because of worsening of diarrhoea because of these ‘makeshift’ drinks. “ORS is supposed to save lives. It's a wonder drug of the 20th century. It's supposed to save lives. It's supposed to rehydrate us. It is like Amrut for us. And here, here, people have labelled their high sugar drinks as ORS with a suffix or prefix,” she added.

The doctor further said that pharma companies and hospitals have been duping the public for the last 14 years using deceptive labelling and unethical marketing. Due to this, the medicine which was used to cure diarrhoea aggravated the disease in return, which has made it a fatal disease for children in the age group under five. 

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Sharing the statistics of fatality due to diarrhoea, she said, “13 % or 13 out of 100 children dying in the under-five age group in India are dying because of diarrhoea. And how can we give something which worsens diarrhoea and not be? How can you be so callous about it? Saying, Okay, now, after your fight, we have added a disclaimer. The public's responsibility to read the disclaimer seems.  How many literate people in India actually read the disclaimers? Leave alone the illiterate people. This is cruel.”

Dr Santosh had been fighting against unethical advertising for a long time. But despite raising her voice on numerous occasions, her cries fell on deaf ears. However, the recent directive from FSSAI has finally provided her 'relief' for the long-standing battle she has waged. 

(With inputs from ANI)

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