Amidst row over adulteration in laddus made at Tirupati Venkateshwara temple, the central food safety regulator has issued notice to dairy in Tamil Nadu which allegedly supplied adulterated ghee.
The FSSAI issued notice to A.R. Dairy Food Private Ltd and asked why its central licence should not be suspended for contravention of the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulation, 2011, PTI reported. The regulator said analysis of ghee samples at central laboratory found it did not meet standards.
As per the notice, FSSAI said it received information from the Director of the Institute of Preventive Medicine, Mangalagiri (Andhra Pradesh), that A R Dairy Food Private Ltd in Dindigul was one of the suppliers of Ghee to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) since last four years, PTI reported.
The ghee procurement committee of TTD has sent all the samples supplied to TTD for testing to NDDB CALF Lab at Anand, Gujarat. "After analysis, the sample from your firm M/s. 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," PTI reported quoting the notice.
FSSAI observed as per results, the ghee did not meet the standards. “In view of all the above 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," it said, PTI reported.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu recently kicked up a row and said during the previous YSRCP regime, ghee adulterated with animal fat was used for making laddus at Tirupati temple. Naidu subsequently announced a Special Investigation Team to probe these claims. On Sunday, the priests conducted a ‘rectification’ ritual at the temple. The temple authorities said sanctity of the laddu prasadam has been restored.