The National Health Rights Forum (Rashtriya Swasthya Adhikar Morcha), a nationwide initiative of the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), has expressed deep concern over the continued stocking and sale of misbranded Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) products across India, warning that the practice severely jeopardises the health of children and vulnerable populations despite a clear ban imposed by the food safety regulator and upheld by the High Court.
In a public statement, the Forum called upon central, state and local governments to take immediate steps to enforce the ban on products that violate World Health Organisation norms, and to create widespread public awareness about the difference between genuine therapeutic ORS and commercially branded electrolyte drinks that can worsen dehydration due to high sugar content or artificial sweeteners.
“We call upon the Central, State and local governments and public health authorities to take immediate steps, including creating awareness on and enforcing the ban by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Delhi High Court, on misbranded ‘ORS’, that violate the norms of the World Health Organization (WHO),” the Forum stated.
The controversy dates back to October 2025, when the FSSAI imposed a complete and immediate ban on the supply, stocking and sale of all products labelled ORS or ORS-like variations unless they strictly complied with WHO norms. The ban was subsequently upheld by the Delhi High Court in two separate orders in October and November 2025.
However, the Forum noted that significant quantities of these mislabelled products remain in India’s supply chain even seven months after the mandate. The Forum pointed out that global climate change has already led to rising temperatures and heat stress across India, and with summer at its peak, consumers urgently need authentic information.
“As we are already in the middle of summer, it is crucial that consumers across India be made aware of this wrongful selling and be informed that they need to consume only ORS products that are specifically labelled and are consistent with ‘WHO recommended formula’, regardless of the name, manufacturer or source of supply,” the statement read.
The National Health Rights Forum has put forward a set of demands, including a permanent ban on all products using ORS or ORS-like terminology for non-therapeutic beverages from pharmacies, and a complete rebranding requirement for food-grade electrolyte drinks so that they bear no phonetic or visual resemblance to medical-grade ORS.
The Forum specifically noted that the term “ORS” should be legally restricted to products meeting WHO standards and licensed as drugs by the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation, and that food products and energy drinks should not be co-stocked with medical products in pharmacies or marketed as adjuvants for medical conditions such as fever, nausea or heat exhaustion.
“Food products/energy drinks should not be co-stocked with medical products and drugs in pharmacies or marketed as ‘adjuvants’ for medical conditions like fever or nausea or heat exhaustion, as this blurs the distinction between a beverage and a drug. They should only be sold in the food markets/ supermarkets etc.,” the Forum demanded.
Significant concerns were also raised regarding the use of the artificial sweetener sucralose in beverages marketed for hydration in children, with the Forum stating that sucralose is not considered safe for routine use in children below two years of age and that medical practitioners have warned it may worsen gut inflammation, contribute to insulin resistance, and aggravate diarrhoea in paediatric patients.
“Until exhaustive, long-term paediatric research is concluded, the use of sucralose in products intended for young children should be viewed with extreme caution and avoided in the management of dehydration,” the statement added.
The Forum also came out in strong solidarity with Dr. Sivaranjani Santosh, the Hyderabad-based paediatrician who has consistently exposed the violations and faced legal harassment as a result.
According to the chronology provided by the Forum, Dr. Sivaranjani first observed around 2018 that children with diarrhoea were being sold fake ORS products misbranded as ORS liquid in pharmacies, and despite raising the matter with regulators and filing a public interest litigation, she was served a defamation notice on 16th March 2026 by pharmaceutical companies over her social media posts criticising the safety of reformulated drinks containing sucralose.
“We salute the efforts of Dr. Sivaranjani Santosh, Hyderabad-based paediatrician, who has consistently raised public awareness on this important issue and has taken the matter to regulatory and judicial fora. We strongly condemn the threats of defamation and harassment she is being subject to, and call upon authorities to uphold her right to raise awareness as a public health professional, without intimidation from vested interests and market forces,” the National Health Rights Forum said in its statement.
The Forum has urged international organisations like WHO and UNICEF to take immediate cognisance of the matter and help publicise authentic information among citizens across India.
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