All talk, no action? FSSAI's sweet confusion over the ORSL row

For eight long years, Hyderabad paediatrician Dr Sivaranjani Santosh battled corporate giants over one simple demand. That Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) labels be used only for WHO-approved, medical-grade rehydration mixes, and not sugary electrolyte drinks dressed up as medicine.

It was her persistence that finally paid off. On October 15, the FSSAI, India's food regulatory body, announced a long-overdue ban on misleading ORS products.

For a country where childhood diarrhoea remains a major cause of death, it felt like a turning point where science had finally won over marketing.

However, the ink had barely dried on the notification when reports surfaced that the regulator had allegedly “consented” to a stay allowing Kenvue’s Indian arm, JNTL, to dispose of its high-sugar ORSL stock.