The excessive court docket stated the measures taken by the FSSAI are impelled by “severe public well being concerns” and are regulatory measures relevant throughout the meals trade.
Justice Sachin Datta, in an order handed on October 31, refused to intervene with the FSSAI's October 14 and 15 orders by which it has withdrawn permissions for food-and-beverage firms to make use of the phrase “ORS” of their labelling until they met the usual medical formulation.
“Within the circumstances, this court docket will not be inclined to interdict with the impugned orders, in mild of the aforesaid order dated October 30, 2025 handed by the FSSAI. That is significantly in mild of the deleterious impact and adversarial well being outcomes within the occasion of consumption of the offending merchandise by those that are in medical want of an ORS formulation,” the excessive court docket stated.
It added that the court docket doesn't discover it apposite to sit down in attraction over a measure taken by the FSSAI on public well being concerns.
The court docket dismissed a petition by Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd difficult the FSSAI's directive limiting use of the label ‘ORS' for its oral rehydration resolution model Rebalanz VITORS.In the course of the proceedings, the counsel for the pharma firm made a press release that the petitioner has ceased manufacturing recent shares of its merchandise.It was additionally said that the corporate was prepared to re-label or re-brand its current stock or inventory of the meals merchandise involved and that the inventory which was already within the provide chain be allowed to be offered to stop irreparable and big loss to the petitioner.
The court docket, nevertheless, stated it was not inclined to cross any instructions on this regard in these proceedings besides to direct the regulatory physique (FSSAI) to think about this side of the matter on a illustration being made by the petitioner.
“Accordingly, the current petition is dismissed, whereas granting liberty to make such a illustration to the FSSAI, which shall be duly thought of and disposed of by FSSAI by the use of a reasoned order, after affording a possibility of listening to to the petitioner, inside a interval of 1 week of receipt thereof,” it stated.
On October 14, the FSSAI issued an order withdrawing all prior permissions for food-and-beverage firms to make use of the time period ‘ORS' in product names or branding until they met the usual medical formulation.
The meals security regulator deemed use of ‘ORS' in branding by sugary or electrolyte drinks as deceptive to customers, significantly youngsters, and in violation of the Meals Security and Requirements Act, 2006.
ORS is an abbreviation for Oral Rehydration Answer formulations really helpful by the WHO and is given to individuals affected by dehydration.
The counsel for FSSAI opposed the corporate's request that or not it's allowed to promote the inventory, which is already out there, with the Rebalanz VITORS mark.
