A working associate of AR Dairy Food Private Limited, a company from Tamil Nadu accused of supplying adulterated ghee to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) for prasadam at the Sri Venkateswara Temple, has strongly denied the accusations, calling them “absurd.”
Following legal action initiated by the TTD, the employee dismissed claims that fish oil was used in the ghee, arguing that it made no sense as fish oil is more costly than ghee.
Kanan, a quality control officer at the company, pointed out that any adulteration would be immediately noticeable by its smell. He stated, “The accusations, whether about vegetable oil or animal fat, are very harmful to our business. The idea that fish oil was added is absurd since it’s more expensive than ghee. Plus, the smell would make it easy to detect.”
Kanan also mentioned that the company has been producing ghee since 1998, performing 102 quality checks on the milk used. He further explained that TTD conducts its own tests on the ghee. “Our ghee goes through testing in national labs before being sent to TTD, and once it arrives, their food safety officer checks it again,” he said.
On the other hand, spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar voiced concerns, stating the issue had deeply hurt Hindu sentiments. He wrote on X, “The Tirupati laddu controversy has deeply wounded the Hindu psyche. It’s time temple management was placed in the hands of religious leaders and devotees instead of officials, businesspeople, and politicians.”
TTD’s executive officer J Shyamala Rao recently said lab tests showed traces of animal fat and lard in the ghee supplied by AR Dairy. Andhra Pradesh minister Nara Lokesh also weighed in, promising action. “The NDDB report clearly shows adulteration. This is not just an allegation. We will ensure that those responsible face the consequences, and this issue won’t stop with just a CBI inquiry,” he affirmed.