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ORS for kids

Delhi High Court on Friday gave a big relief to a subsidiary company of Johnson & Johnson. The court has stayed the order of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), in which JNTL company was prohibited from writing ORS on its health drink products. Recently FSSAI had said that no company can write ORS on the packaging of any of its products. Only that company can make this mention whose products use ORS salt and formula and which are made on the basis of WHO standards.

There were many such products being sold in the market in which ORS was written on the packet, but it was just a normal health drink. But because it was written as ORS, people were buying it and children were also consuming it. Dr. Shivranjani Santosh of Children's Hospital in Hyderabad had raised her voice against this. She was struggling for this for many years and she had won. FSSAI had issued this order only after his appeal. But now in the hearing of the case of JNTL Consumer Health India, the High Court has put a stay on the order of FSSAI for the time being. A hearing will be held regarding this.

What is the reason for ORS controversy?

Dr. Shivranjani Santosh said that many companies write ORS on their health drinks, but the ORS salt in them is not based on WHO standards. In many packets with ORS written on them, the amount of sugar exceeds the prescribed standard. Artificial sweetener is also added to these. Which is dangerous for health.

After Dr. Shivranjani's complaint, the Food Safety Authority and the court banned the sale of such products. The organization said that the job of ORS is to compensate for the lack of water in the body, but the sugar level in some brands is high.

What is ORS?

ORS has to be drunk to compensate for the lack of water and electrolytes. If someone has diarrhea or dehydration, doctors recommend drinking ORS. But if the sugar level in it increases, it can be harmful for children and diabetic patients. Only that ORS should be drunk which is made as per WHO standards.

According to WHO, to make ORS, there should be 5 to 6 spoons of sugar and one spoon of salt in 1 liter of clean water. There should not be any kind of sweetener or chemical used in it.

Disadvantages of ORS containing high sugar

Increase in blood sugar especially in diabetic patients

Stomach pain and indigestion: Excess sugar can increase the problem of gas and diarrhea.

Obesity and Calorie Intake Frequent consumption of food in children can lead to weight gain

What do AIIMS doctors say

Dr. Himanshu Bhadani in the Department of Pediatrics at AIIMS Delhi. It is said that ORS is life-saving for children in cases of vomiting and diarrhea, but correct sugar level is also important. Too sweet ORS can be harmful. In such a situation, it is important to always buy reliable and government standard ORS packets. Be sure to check the sugar content and expiry date on the packet.