Tirupati laddu row: FSSAI serves notice to firm supplying ghee to Tirumala shrine

NEW DELHI: After random inspection of ghee samples were found to be adulterated, food safety regulator, FSSAI, has issued a show-cause notice to a company that was supplying ghee to Tirumala temple.
“The samples from this company failed the quality test. The FSSAI has issued a show-cause notice,” said a senior health ministry official.
Earlier, on Friday, Union health minister J P Nadda had said that he had spoken to Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on the Tirupati laddu issue and sought a report.The minister had said the matter would be examined by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and suitable action will be taken.
Responding to a question on whether the consumer affairs department will increase checking for adulteration of desi ghee in the light of recent revelations to protect buyers’ interest, Union consumer affairs secretary Nidhi Khare on Monday said her department will consider additional measures to monitor the quality in the market only after receiving the FSSAI report.
On the potential pre-festive season checks on ghee quality, Khare said, “We will take more action, if required, after the FSSAI report and pro- vided there are consumer complaints on the National Consumer Helpline (NCH).”
The controversy over Tirupati laddu has sparked reactions across states. Karnataka has mandated testing of temple prasadam and specified the use of only Nandini ghee for the preparation. In Uttar Pradesh, the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) has collected 13 samples of ‘prasadam’ from prominent temples in Mathura for testing.