Food Safety Officials Inspect Temples to Check Quality of Food, Prasadam

Vijayawada: The AP food safety authorities have sprung into action, inspecting major temples to check the quality of food and prasadam offered to the devotees.

This follows allegations about use of adulterated ghee for laddu preparations at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, suspected use of animal fat in it, etc.

Inspections are done on the temples that are equipped with kitchens for preparation of food and prasadams. Food inspectors and assistant food controllers are visiting select temples for the inspections.

They have been ordered to check the quality of raw materials like spicy ingredients, cooking oils, salt, tamarind, chilly powder etc. They will also have to check the cleanliness of the premises where they are stored and the shelf life of the raw materials. They would check the cooked food items like rice, curries and prasadam.

Samples will be collected and sent to the state food lab in Hyderabad for testing.

Teams of officials have started inspecting major temples in Simhachalam, Annavaram, Dwaraka Tirumala, Srisailam, Vijayawada etc on Thursday.

Food safety joint controller Poornachandra Rao is overseeing the raids.

At Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Swamy Vari Devasthanam Annavaram, the temple authorities offer prasadam made of wheat flour and ghee.

The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and Regulations 2011 have provisions to firmly deal with quality issues of food items. Adjudication will be done in the joint collector’s court and fine in the range of Rs.5 lakh and Rs.3 lakh respectively can be slapped.

For unsafe food items, criminal cases can be booked. Jail period varies from six months to life term. There, so far, has hardly been any strong action and inspections are held rarely, if only to prove the authority’s existence.