Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) is considered one of the most effective ways to prevent deaths from dehydration, especially among children.

For decades, this mixture of salts and glucose dissolved in water has been a familiar remedy in many Indian households, the first line of response when a child develops diarrhoea or vomiting. In recent months, ORS has also entered public discourse after the campaign by Hyderabad-based paediatrician, Sivaranjani Santosh drew attention to sugary drinks marketed as “ORS-like” beverages that do not follow medical standards. It prompted the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to prohibit the use of the term ‘ORS’ on food and beverage products that do not meet the approved formulation, highlighting concerns that misleading products could worsen dehydration in children instead of treating it.