Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], October 17 : Hyderabad-based paediatrician Dr Sivaranjani Santosh's persistent efforts resulted in a fruitful conclusion as The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued a directive to all States and Union Territories' Commissioners of Food Safety and all Central Licensing Authorities, to ensure that all food business operators (FBOs) remove the combination of the term "ORS" from their food products.
Speaking with ANI, Dr. Sivaranjani Santosh said the directives come as a "huge relief", as she highlighted how the private companies have used the term ORS to cheat the public through deceptive labelling and unethical marketing.
She also pointed out how these drinks, that "wrongfully" use the ORS term, actually worsen diarrhoea
"It's a huge relief. That means now I know that no child will die, no adult will die because of worsening of diarrhoea, because of these 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. And for the past 14 years, they've been cheating the public, deceptive labelling, unethical marketing, pharmacies, hospitals, schools, everywhere," Dr Sivaranjani Santosh said.
"So something which should actually make you recover from diarrhoeal dehydration was actually worsening the diarrhoea," she added.
Emphasising that over 13 children out of the 100 die because of diarrhoea, Dr Santosh lambasted that companies for selling their drinks with ORS suffix and prefix.
"In the under-five age group, 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," she said.
Dr. Santosh had to go against her family's will to file litigation against the companies and government. Even after experiencing countless pressure, she believed she was "meant for this" and continued her struggle that resulted in this landmark decision.
"So that's why I couldn't give up in spite of so much tension, pressure, and having to fight with my own fraternity, in spite of having to raise my voice against authorities, in spite of having to file a public interest litigation where both the government and these companies have been made respondents. I didn't back out. In between, I used to feel tense, pressured that, yeah, something can go wrong for my family, but I used to just delete it from my mind because I thought I had to do this. I was meant to do this," she said.
Dr Santosh has been raising awareness for eight years about how several companies were marketing sugar-rich drinks as ORS.
As a result of her continuous efforts, FSSAI issued the directive. The body noted that the directive applies whether the term is used as a standalone word, used with any prefix or suffix, or forms part of a trademark in the product name.
It stated in the official statement, "The use of the term 'ORS' in the trademarked name or in the naming of any food product otherwise, whether fruit-based, non-carbonated, or ready-to-drink beverages-even when accompanied by a prefix or suffix, constitutes a violation of the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the regulations made thereunder".
FSSAI has asked all concerned authorities to ensure strict compliance with the labelling and advertisement requirements prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the regulations framed thereunder.
The earlier orders had permitted the use of the term "ORS" on food labels as part of a trademark with a prefix or suffix in the product name, provided that the label carried a warning stating, "The product is NOT an ORS formula as recommended by WHO."
However, FSSAI has now clarified that, upon further review, the use of the term "ORS" in any manner, whether in a trademarked name or otherwise, for food products such as fruit-based, non-carbonated, or ready-to-drink beverages, is a violation of the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act.