FSSAI Issues Notice Over Substandard Ghee in Tirupati Laddus

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued a show cause notice to A R Diary Food Private Ltd for supplying substandard ghee to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam. FSSAI's action follows allegations of adulteration in Tirupati laddus and subsequent analysis revealed the ghee failed quality parameters.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a show cause notice to a Tamil Nadu-based firm, A R Diary Food Private Ltd, for supplying substandard ghee to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), according to official sources.

The regulatory body questioned the firm, asking why its central license should not be suspended under provisions of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulation, 2011. The notice was prompted by information received from The Director of the Institute of Preventive Medicine in Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh, revealing that A R Diary Food Private Ltd had been supplying ghee to TTD for four years.

The ghee procurement committee of TTD sent samples for testing to NDDB CALF Lab in Anand, Gujarat, where the ghee from A R Diary Food Private Ltd failed to meet quality standards. Consequently, the firm was blacklisted. FSSAI demanded a response by September 23, warning of suitable action under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. The issue surfaced after Andhra Pradesh's Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu accused the previous government of using substandard ingredients in Tirupati laddus, igniting a nationwide controversy.