FSSAI officials monitoring quality of prasadams regularly during Dasara Navarathri Utsavams atop Indrakeeladri in A.P.

Instructions have been given to the Food Safety Officers and Food Inspectors to allow stocks only after verifying the quality of raw materials in all temples, says State Joint Food Controller N. Purnachandra Rao

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is monitoring the quality of prasadams being supplied to the devotees atop Indrakeeladru during the ongoing Dasara Navarathri Utsavams.

With allegations over the adulteration of Laddu prasadam in Tirumala temple of Lord Venkateswara run by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the State government has issued orders to monitor the quality of prasadams in all temples in the State.

FSSAI was focussing on the quality of the raw material and the prasadams being prepared during the Navarathri Utsavams in all major temples across the State, said FSSAI Joint Food Controller of A.P. N. Purnachandra Rao.

“Three Food Safety Officers (FSOs) have been deployed at Sri Durga Malleswari Swamyvaarla Devasthanam in Vijayawada, to check the quality of prasadams every day during Dasara Festivities. The FSOs will monitor the standard of the raw material being used for preparing prasadams, and the cooked prasadam varieties,” Mr. Purnachandra Rao told The Hindu on Friday.

NTR District Collector Gummalla Srijana has said that instructions have been given to Durga temple authorities to monitor the quality of all prasadams regularly.

“On the first day, samples of Laddu, Pongali and Anna prasadam were collected. Instructions have been given to the FSOs to follow the procedure everyday during the utsavams,” the State Joint Food Controller said.

Following the directions of Commissioner of Food Safety C. Hari Kiran, FSOs and food inspectors were monitoring the quality of prasadams in all major temples across the State during the Dasara Utsavams.

The FSO and inspectors will check the quality of prasadams at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple on Tirumala, Sri Venkateswara Swamyvari Devasthanam at Dwaraka Tirumala, Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamyvari Devasthanam at Simhachalam, Sri Bramaramba Mallikarjuna Devasthanam at Srisailam, Sri Lakshmi Tirupatamma Temple, located at Penuganchiprolu in NTR District, Sri Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Swamyvaari Devasthanam at Annavaram and other temples, Mr. Purnachandra Rao said.

“FSSAI is checking the quality of milk, ghee, honey, oils, rice, jaggery, pulses, dry fruits, curd, tamarind, sugar and other raw material being used for making prasadams and Anna prasadams,” he said.

“We verified the samples of rice, sambar, milk, Bengal gram, jaggery and other raw material at Sri Durga Malleswara Swamyvaarla Devasthanam. The stocks were good,” said on-duty FSO N. Ramesh Babu.

Instructions have been given to the FSOs to check the standards of the raw material being allowed into the storerooms and verify the quality of all prasadams regularly, Mr. Purnachandra Rao said.

“The FSOs and the Inspectors were also directed to collect opinion from the devotees visiting the temples on the quality of the prasadams being offered during Dasara Utsavams,” the State Joint Food Controller said.

Published - October 04, 2024 03:37 pm IST