Lab reports confirm presence of animal fat in Tirumala laddu, alleges TDP leader

The quality of prasadam has drastically declined due to usage of adulterated ghee, alleges Anam Venkata Ramana Reddy

The reports of Centre of Analysis and Learning in Livestock and Food (CALF), a multi-disciplinary laboratory of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), has confirmed the presence of animal fat in the ghee used in the making of laddus offered as prasadam by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati during of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) term, claims Telugu Desam Party (TDP) spokesperson Anam Venkata Ramana Reddy.

Showing the lab reports to the media, Mr. Ramana Reddy said, “The quality of Tirumala laddu has drastically declined due to the usage of adulterated ghee. For the sake of huge commissions, the YSRCP government removed Nandini Dairy Co-operative Society of Karnataka.”

“The TTD consumes 15-kg cow ghee per day for preparing laddus. Tamil Nadu-based AR Foods is supplying the ghee at a cost of ₹320 per kg. This ghee contains fish oil, beef tallow and lard, which is a semi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering the fatty tissue of a pig. This has been confirmed after the alliance government has sent the samples to the NDDB’s CALF,” Mr. Ramana Reddy said.

He further said that AR Foods had been blacklisted by the TTD, and an expert committee was constituted to improve the quality of ghee. Based on the recommendations of the committee members, tenders were called for the supply of pure ghee, he added. Nandini and Alfa Foods had come forward to supply cow ghee of better quality at ₹478 per kg.

‘Diversion politics’

However, the YSRCP leaders rubbished these allegations.

Speaking to The Hindu, former Minister and YSRCP Nellore district president K. Govardhan Reddy claimed that the TTD Executive Officer revealed that the ghee used in the preparation of laddus at Tirumala contained vegetable fat, and not animal fat.

“Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is involved in diversion politics. In order to divert the attention of people from the mismanagement of floods in Vijayawada, he made these allegations. He is trying to confuse the devotees by showing fake lab reports of the laddus made after the alliance government was formed,” he alleged.

Published - September 19, 2024 09:07 pm IST