TTD blacklists supplier of adulterated ghee, warns of criminal action

Supplier took advantage of the lack of quality check to supply bad quality ghee; in-house lab being planned now with the assistance of NDDB, says EO, adding purchase of all organic ingredients has been suspended for some time

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Executive Officer, J. Shyamala Rao, on Friday (September 20, 2024) categorically said that the Tamil Nadu-based AR Dairy Food Private Limited, a key supplier of ghee to the temple, had been blacklisted after being found to be supplying highly adulterated ghee, and criminal proceedings would follow if the company failed to provide a satisfactory explanation in response to the show cause notice issued.

Addressing a press conference, which saw the attendance of several national media reporters, Mr. Rao said among the five suppliers contracted to provide ghee, only AR Dairy’s product was found to contain dangerously high levels of foreign fat (fish oil, beef tallow (rendered form of beef suet) and lard (fat drawn from the abdomens of pigs) together were called foreign fat, as per the lab report). “The purity levels were very low,” he said, revealing that the ‘S’ value of the ghee, a key indicator of quality, was 19.72, which was far below the required standard of 98.68 to 104.32. The findings confirmed the ghee was far from fit for use in prasadams, he said.

The TTD sent the ghee samples to the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in Gujarat for testing after complaints of poor laddu quality poured in and four out of 10 tankers from AR Dairy were found to be highly adulterated, forcing the TTD to reject the shipments, he said.

Low price

“Not having own adulteration laboratory or not sending the ghee samples to outside labs for quality testing’‘ were the main reasons for compromise on the quality of ghee. “The supplier took advantage of this lack of quality check to supply bad quality ghee,’‘ he said.

“Another important factor was the low rate of ₹320 per kg agreed to by the supplier. This itself raises suspicion on the quality of ghee being supplied,” he observed.

The tender for this company was finalised on May 8, 2024 and supply started from May 15, he said.

To avoid recurrence of such incidents, the TTD decided to take drastic corrective measures. Plans were afoot to set up an in-house sensory laboratory with the assistance of NDDB and get the staff trained by the Mysore-based Central Food Technology Institute (CFTRI), the EO said.

Expert committee

The NDDB offered to install a ghee adulteration testing lab at a cost of ₹75 lakh by December. The TTD already formed an expert committee to oversee the purchase of raw materials, especially those used in the preparation of prasadams, he said.

In a further crack down, he confirmed the temporary suspension of the purchase of all organic ingredients with the findings confirming them to be of substandard in nature.

“The TTD will not compromise on the use of pure cow ghee,” Mr. Rao asserted, underscoring the temple’s commitment to safeguarding the sanctity of the world-famous laddu prasadams to which devotees across the globe attach great reverence.

Published - September 20, 2024 10:24 pm IST