The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the governing body of the revered Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirumala, has lodged a formal complaint against Tamil Nadu-based AR Dairy Foods Pvt Ltd, accusing the company of supplying adulterated ghee used in temple rituals, including the preparation of the famous laddu prasadam. The complaint was filed by TTD’s procurement general manager, Murali Krishna, at the Tirupati East police station.
Tirupati district Superintendent of Police, L. Subbarayudu, confirmed the complaint, stating that AR Dairy is accused of violating TTD’s stringent quality standards. Initial lab tests reportedly found foreign fats, including animal fat and lard, in the ghee supplied by AR Dairy. The case has been registered under multiple legal provisions and may be handed over to the Special Investigation Team (SIT), formed by the Andhra Pradesh government to investigate similar cases.
Earlier, TTD Executive Officer, J. Shyamala Rao, revealed in a press briefing that lab tests conducted on samples of the ghee supplied by AR Dairy indicated the presence of foreign fats such as soybean, sunflower, palm kernel fat, or even lard and beef tallow. An S-value analysis of the ghee samples conducted by the NDDB CALF lab in Anand revealed significant deviations from the acceptable range for pure milk fat, which should be between 98.05 and 104.32. The tested samples showed values ranging from 23.22 to 116, indicating possible adulteration.
Despite these findings, AR Dairy Foods has denied the allegations, asserting that all their products have passed quality checks. The company stated that they supplied ghee to TTD only during June and July and maintained compliance with all required standards.
According to TTD, five companies—Premier Agri Foods, Kriparam Dairy, Vaishnavi, Sri Parag Milk, and AR Dairy—supplied ghee for temple use, with prices ranging from ₹320 to ₹411 per kilogram. Four ghee tankers from AR Dairy were found to be substandard.
The Chandrababu Naidu government established a Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by Guntur Range DIG Sarvasresta Tripathi, to investigate the case and provide a detailed report. TTD officials have warned of criminal proceedings if the allegations are proven.
In response to the ghee shortage caused by the rejection of AR Dairy’s supplies, the TTD placed an order for 10 lakh kilograms of ghee with the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF). Tankers carrying Nandini ghee from KMF have already arrived at Tirumala to meet the temple’s ghee requirements.
The investigation continues, and TTD has reiterated its commitment to maintaining strict quality control for all products used in temple services and prasadam preparation.
(With inputs from ABPLive)
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.