Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). (Image: DC)
Tirupati: To improve food safety at one of India's most revered pilgrimage sites, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is considering the establishment of a state-of-the-art laboratory in Tirumala. The proposed facility aims to test the quality of raw materials procured by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), ensuring that the millions of devotees visiting the hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara receive safe and high-quality prasadam.
The idea was proposed earlier but gained increased attention following a controversy involving the renowned Tirumala laddu. After Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu alleged that adulterated ghee, containing animal fat, was used in the laddus during the previous government’s tenure, several individuals, including former Union minister Suresh Prabhu, called for the establishment of FSSAI labs at all the public places where prasadam is distributed.
"The FSSAI must set up food testing labs at all public places where prasad is distributed to ensure quality and meet public expectations," Suresh Prabhu said on social media platform X. He suggested that institutions overseeing mass feeding programs could bear the costs of these facilities. Sources reveal that the FSSAI is prepared to invest approximately Rs 22 crore in a 12,000 sq. foot laboratory at Tirumala.
The facility, according to sources, is expected to house advanced equipment worth Rs 9 crore, a Rs 5 crore microbiology setup, and other instruments valued at Rs 6 crore. “During the FSSAI’s 41st Central Advisory Committee meeting in Tirupati, authorities expressed support for setting up a dedicated lab in Tirumala, given the daily influx of thousands of pilgrims. The lab will ensure food and water quality for devotees and improve the management of the laddu-making unit and annaprasadam centre, in collaboration with the temple authorities,” a TTD official said.
TTD executive officer J. Shyamala Rao has already started talks with FSSAI about leveraging their expertise in raw material procurement and testing. With the TTD spending thousands of crores on various food items annually, including Rs 800 crore solely on ghee, this move is seen as essential for upholding the highest food safety standards. "The new lab will help us to follow the FSSAI norms in our raw material procurement and implement standard operating procedures to improve food safety," Rao explained. He has reportedly approved plans for a two-story building to house the new facility, pending final clearances. It is learnt that the Institute of Preventive Medicine, under the state's health department, is expected to facilitate the agreement between FSSAI and TTD for the lab's establishment.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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