Tirupati laddu row: Consumer Affairs considers additional measures to monitor ghee quality in the market

Tirupati laddu row: The Consumer Affairs department is considering adding additional measures to monitor ghee quality in the market. However the department is awaiting the report by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). 

Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare confirmed that the department would wait for the report considering food safety falls under the purview of FSSAI. "We will take more action, if required, after the FSSAI report and provided there are consumer complaints on the National Consumer Helpline (NCH),” she said when asked about ghee quality control ahead of the festive season at an event on Monday. 

Khare said that food-related complaints received by the helpline are typically forwarded to FSSAI for action, since it is their expertise.

The Tirupati laddu row was triggered after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the previous Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government had used substandard ingredients as well as animal fat in Tirupati laddus. Naidu subsequently ordered a Special Investigation Team to probe these claims. 

The row sparked reactions from every corner of the country. Following this, Karnataka mandated testing temple prasadam and specified the use of only Nandini ghee for the preparation. Meanwhile, in Uttar Pradesh, the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) collected 13 prasad samples from prominent temples in Mathura.

Naidy had also said that the Andhra government will consult pontiffs, sages, priests and other top Hinduism experts on the future course of action to be taken following allegations of animal fat adulteration in Tirupati laddus. The chief minister said after consultation, the government will take its decision with respect to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the official custodian of world-renowned Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati.

"We are discussing what to do next and how to go forward with respect to TTD. After deliberating with pontiffs, priests and Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) experts, we will decide on how the samprokshana (ritualistic sanitisation) should be done," said Naidu in an official release.