Food safety authority issues show-cause notice to firm on contamination in Tirupati laddus

Photo used for representation purpose only.
| Photo Credit: G.N. Rao

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the government’s food regulatory authority under the Health Ministry, has issued a show-cause notice to A.R. Dairy, one of the companies which supplied ghee to the Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh, for allegedly providing substandard product to the temple.

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) had reportedly got samples of its laddu prasadam tested and allegedly they did not meet the set standards and were found “adulterated” with palm oil and animal fat, including fish oil, beef tallow.

The issue came to light after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu alleged on September 18 that the previous Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government had used substandard ingredients and animal fat in Tirupati laddus. Mr. Naidu subsequently announced a Special Investigation Team to probe these claims.

“This action has been initiated after four samples from the company failed to meet the food standard parameters. Further action will be taken after response from the company,’’ said a senior Health Ministry official.

In its notice, the food regulator asked the A.R. Dairy Food Private Ltd why its central licence should not be suspended for contravention of the above said provisions of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulation, 2011.

According to the notice, the FSSAI said it received information from the Director of Institute of Preventive Medicine, Mangalagiri (Andhra Pradesh), that A.R. Dairy Food Private Ltd in Dindigul was one of the suppliers of ghee to TTD since the last four years.

Tested in Gujarat

Further, as per the information, the ghee procurement committee of TTD has sent all the samples supplied to TTD for testing to the NDDB CALF Lab at Anand, Gujarat.

“After analysis, the sample from your firm A.R. Dairy Food Private Ltd (FSSAI Central License number 10014042001610) has failed to meet the parameters and your firm has been blacklisted by EO, TTD,” the notice said.

“By virtue of the above non-conformance of the product “ghee” manufactured by your firm which is not meeting the standards, you have contravened the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, Rules and Regulations made thereunder.

“In view of all the above states you are hereby directed to show cause as to why your central licence shall not be suspended for contravention of the above said provisions of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulation, 2011,” the notice said.

The regulator asked them to send a reply by September 23 failing which it said suitable action would be initiated as per the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and Regulations.

Earlier Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda said he had spoken to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and sought a report on the Tirupati laddu issue.

Meanwhile, the A.R. Dairy came under scrutiny after a report by NDDB CALF, a private laboratory specialising in testing animal feed and dairy products, found that ghee samples used in the Tirupati laddus contained foreign fats. 

“The requirement of the temple is 10 tonnes of ghee per day. We have supplied not even 0.1 per cent of the requirement,” A.R. Dairy said in a statement.