Tirupati laddu row: FSSAI issues show cause notice to ghee supplier

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a show cause notice to Tamil Nadu-based A R Dairy Foods Private Limited for allegedly supplying adulterated ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), used in the preparation of Tirupati laddu.

The issue gained attention after chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu accused the previous government of using substandard ingredients, including ghee adulterated with animal fats like fish oil and beef tallow.

TTD executive officer J Syamala Rao confirmed the supply of adulterated ghee from A R Dairy Foods.

The FSSAI’s action followed reports from the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in Gujarat, which found that ghee samples from AR Dairy Foods failed safety standards and contained foreign fats.

A senior health ministry official stated that four samples from the company did not meet the necessary food safety criteria.

The FSSAI notice questions why A.R. Dairy Foods’ central license should not be suspended under the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulation, 2011. According to the director of the Institute of Preventive Medicine in Mangalagiri, AR Dairy Foods has supplied ghee to TTD for the past four years.

The company has been blacklisted by TTD following the substandard results from NDDB testing. AR Dairy Foods has until Monday to provide an explanation for the potential suspension of its licence, with further legal action possible if the response is unsatisfactory.