Jharkhand's Food Safety Department Cracks Down on Misleading ORS-Labeled Fruit Beverages

Ranchi: The Jharkhand food safety department has intensified its inspection drive against the sale of fruit-based beverages being falsely marketed as oral rehydration salt (ORS), commonly used for the treatment of diarrhoea and dehydration.Food safety sleuths in Ranchi and other districts across the state have been inspecting both medical shops and general stores to ensure a recent ban imposed on the sale of misleading ORS-labelled beverages by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).Notably, on Oct 15, FSSAI banned food and beverage companies from using the term ‘ORS' in their products, after a relentless campaign by Hyderabad-based paediatrician Dr Sivaranjini Santosh.Ranchi food safety officer (FSO) Dr Pawan Kumar said as per FSSAI’s guidance, the sale of ORS-labelled fruit beverages was restricted in Ranchi from Nov 1.

“Despite that, some shops have been selling these beverages, which people often take to cure diarrhoea and dehydration. But these products are not made using the formula prescribed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which can harm the consumers. The fruit beverages are deceptively promoted using the term ‘ORS’ in the suffix or prefix of the products,” Kumar said.A team of food safety officials on Thursday inspected five shops in Ranchi’s Hinoo, Sainik Market, and Main Road areas.

However, the team did not find the shops selling such fruit beverages. Previously, the team on Monday inspected 19 shops in the city’s Upper Bazar, Main Road, and Harmu areas and found nine shops selling the beverages. “The shops have been served notice to stop selling the products. Also, the wholesalers of the products have being instructed to stop distribution at the source,” Kumar added.Seraikela Kharsawan district FSO, Subeer Ranjan, said the district administration has been intensively carrying out the drive since Oct 30.

“In the last one week, we inspected 14 shops in the district and informed about the guideline to all medicine shops through the drug and chemist association. The sellers have obliged to the direction, and we have not yet found anyone selling the products. However, the inspection drive will continue until the sale completely stops,” Ranjan further added.Professor of paediatrics department of Rims, Dr Partha Kumar Choudhary, said, “Only the ORS manufactured using the WHO formula has the exact amount of electrolytes. But the ones found in the market have constituents in wrong proportion and more sugar. Consumption of these products can further worsen diarrhoea and lead to electrolyte imbalance in the body.”