Claim : The FSSAI banned ORSL because of misleading labels but the court permitted it to sell after an appeal from the company.
Conclusion : The claim is true. The FSSAI has banned misleading ORS labels but the Delhi High Court on October 22, 2025 allowed the sale until the stock was cleared.
Rating : True 
Summary of events given in the fact check report : –
- February 2, 2024: FSSAI issued an order on the subject of “Usage of the term ‘ORS’ along with brand names”. This order allowed Food Business Operators (FBOs) with valid trademarks to use the term “ORS” with a prefix or suffix, provided they included a prominent front-of-pack disclaimer stating that the product was “NOT a ORS formula as recommended by WHO”.
- On October 14, 2025 FSSAI banned ( withdrawal permissions) use of “ORS” on product labels not matching WHO’s low-osmolarity ORS standards, targeting ORSL. View the order here.
- October 15, 2025: FSSAI issued a clarification of the October 14, 2025, order. This clarification directed all FBOs to completely remove the word “ORS” from their food products, regardless of whether it was used alone or with other terms. The FSSAI stated that allowing the use of “ORS” on non-medical products was misleading and deceptive to consumers and to ensure strict compliance with the labelling and advertisement requirements prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the
regulations framed thereunder. View the clarification here. - On October 22, Delhi High Court (Justice Sachin Datta) granted interim stay, allowing ORSL maker JNTL Consumer Health to sell existing stock worth ₹155–180 crore emphasising that “FSSAI cannot implement its directive till the company is given adequate opportunity of hearing”. Multiple news reports have covered this including one by NDTV that can be viewed here.
- On October 23, 2025 FSSAI on X said it has not permitted disposal or sale of non-compliant ORSL, (clarifying that it was the court which allowed JNTL Consumer Health to sell the remaining stock ) View the X post here
- On October 28, 2025, as per a report by Bar & Bench, the Delhi High Court clarified that the stay does not allow continued manufacture, only clearance of old stock. View the report here.
Several social media users have claimed that the ORSL company was given a pass/nod after FSSAI had banned misleading ORS labels. Verified X user ‘NalinisKitchen’ had shared such a claim on October 23, 2025. The post suggests that the ORSL company pleaded to sell its ₹180 crore worth of existing stock. The court granted permission, effectively valuing the billionaire-owned firm’s inventory over the well-being of India’s 1.4 billion citizens. View the post below –
Dear Indians, your life has ZERO value.
FSSAI banned ORSL because it contains high sugar and does not comply with the WHO formula, as it is dangerous for health.
Then the ORSL company said, “Please, sir, we have ₹180 crore worth of stock. Please let us sell it.”
The court… pic.twitter.com/XBw7nt6J9R
— Nalini Unagar (@NalinisKitchen) October 23, 2025
Other users have also shared similar claims which can be seen here and here.
Multiple reports have confirmed that ORSL contains up to eight times more sugar than the WHO ORS formula, transforming it into a high-calorie beverage rather than a therapeutic rehydration solution. A report by India Today highlights the fact that “For sick children, it can worsen dehydration and delay recovery.” View the report here.
FACT CHECK
DigitEYE India decided to investigate this claim and found that it is true. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) did ban misleading ORS labels. However, Justice Sachin Datta of the Delhi High Court granted an interim stay on the FSSAI order’s enforcement against ORSL, permitting the sale of pre-ban existing stock.
We first conducted a web search with the phrase “FSSAI bans misleading ORS labels” to learn about the claim. Several news outlets have covered this, highlighting how on October 14, 2025, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued an order prohibiting the use of “ORS” on any food product labels unless the formulation strictly adheres to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) low-osmolarity ORS standards.
Following this, we checked the official FSSAI Advisories page and found the main order. This order effectively prohibits the use of “ORS” on labels unless it complies with WHO standards, targeting misleading products like ORSL. View the order here.
Amid the ongoing debate, the FSSAI issued a clarification on October 15, 2025. This addresses misinterpretations, confirming the ban applies only to non-compliant labeling and no blanket permission for new sales. On 23 October, 2025, another clarification post was put on their X account, suggesting that the FSSAI has not permitted the disposal or sale of ORSL. View the post below
MISREPRESENTATION OF FACTS: FSSAI has NOT permitted or consented to the sale/disposal of ORSL. pic.twitter.com/lindplhJ23
— FSSAI (@fssaiindia) October 23, 2025
Upon searching for reports on the court’s order, we learned that on October 22, 2025, Justice Sachin Datta of the Delhi High Court granted an interim stay on the FSSAI order’s enforcement against ORSL. A report by NDTV mentions that “JNTL Consumer Health stated that the estimated value of stocks stood at INR155-180 crore, highlighting the scale of commerce caught in the regulatory web.”
We checked the official judgement portal of the Delhi High Court Judgements for the interim order. From the information shared by the FSSAI about the case, we entered the case number W.P.(C) 16217/2025 on the website. View the screenshot below –
Another report published by the Hindustan Times sheds light on the court’s reasoning for this allowance. The court said that the “Impugned Orders were passed without providing any opportunity of hearing to the Petitioner[JNTL Consumer Health Pvt Ltd) or other stakeholders… without publishing drafts, inviting objections, or following proper procedural requirements under the FSS Act.” The court balanced this against irreparable business harm from abrupt enforcement. View a section of the report below –
On October 28, 2025, the Bar and Bench in their report stated that “Justice Sachin Datta today said that the order was not meant to allow the continued manufacture of products with that name, with a view to deceiving consumers.”
However, this does not change the fact that the Delhi High Court did allow JNTL Consumer Health Pvt Ltd to continue selling its existing ORSL stock worth ₹155-180 crore.
Thus, the claim is true.
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