Tirupati row: 'Lab report' confirms beef tallow, fish oil in ghee used to make laddus, claims TDP

Hyderabad: In a shocking revelation, a central government lab's test report indicated that the cow ghee procured by TTD contains traces of fish oil, beef tallow, and lard. Tirumala Trupati Devasthanam (TTD) procures ghee to make different Prasadams, including the famous Tirupati Laddu sold to pilgrims who visit the Tirumala hill shrine. Lard is a semi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering the fatty tissue of a pig. Around 3.5 lakh laddus are produced every day in Tirumala temple.

At an NDA meeting on Wednesday, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu sparked controversy by asserting that the YSRCP regime used animal fat to make Tirupati Laddus. However, the YSRCP rejected his claims.

TDP leaders on Wednesday released reports from the Centre for Analysis and Learning in Livestock & Food (CALF) lab run by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) that confirmed the presence of animal fat in the ghee.

Highlighting points from the reports, TDP official spokesperson Anam Venkata Ramana Reddy said, "A lab recognised by the central government has confirmed the presence of animal fat in the ghee used during YSRCP rule. Samples were sent to the lab on July 8, 2024, and the NDDB CALF lab provided a report on July 17."

"The report clearly states that in addition to cow ghee, the samples contained soybean, sunflower, olive, wheat germ, corn, cottonseed, as well as fish oil, beef tallow, palm oil, and lard. The central government's recognized NDDB CALF lab exposed the YSRCP's misdeeds. We have provided proof that TTD did not adhere to any quality standards in the procurement of ghee," he added.

He further claimed that quality ghee costs over Rs 1000, but the TTD called for tenders at Rs 320. They awarded contracts to four suppliers. "Is there anyone who can provide quality ghee for Rs 320? They gave tenders for 15,000 kg of ghee for bribes. There was no lab certification for cow ghee." Are they in a position where they can't set up a lab for Rs 75 lakhs for ghee certification? The National Dairy Development Board lab conducted tests on the ghee. There have been complaints about the smell of laddus in Tirumala," he went on.

He said, "They changed the ghee suppliers," and recalled that TTD stopped using Nandini ghee from Karnataka Milk Federation because they don't offer bribes.

“This issue was even discussed in the Karnataka Assembly,” he added.

According to one of the CALF's reports, a ghee sample of TTD contained 116.09 of the S value of Lard. The presence of palm oil and beef tallow measured 23.22 S value. However, YSRCP denied the TDP's accusations and said that the ghee samples that were sent to the NDDB's CALF laboratory were sent in June, after the TDP-led NDA came to power.

On Thursday, YSRCP Rajya Sabha member and the former chairman of TTD, YV Subba Reddy, challenged chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu's claims that animal fat was used in the iconic Tirupati Laddu prasadam in Tirumala temple between 2019 and 2024.

He sought clarification from Naidu and also demanded him to prove that animal fat has been used; otherwise, he will file a defamation suit. He stated that for the past few years, TTD has been using special ghee from the milk of 'desi' cow breeds in the Goshalas to make Naivedyam for Lord Sri Venkateswara, the presiding deity of Tirumala temple.

Additionally, TTD uses organic products to prepare Tirumala Prasadam. He alleged that to divert attention from the real issues, such as the non-implementation of poll promises, Naidu had raked up false propaganda of animal fat in Tirupati Laddus.

An in-house assessment in consultation of dairy experts by TTD, the board that runs the world's richest Hindu temple, recently found that quality ghee has a major role to play in deciding the taste of 'Srivari laddus'.

TTD did not have proper labs, and private labs did not properly test cheese quality in the last few years. To assess the quality of ghee, TTD has established a new sensory perception laboratory and is training its staff at a quality training institute in Mysore.

Incidentally, the Karnataka Milk Producers Federation (KMF) had resumed supplying its famous Nandini Ghee to TTD to prepare Srivari Laddus. KMF had previously failed to meet the tender guidelines and stopped supplying to TTD for a few years.

A four-member expert committee has been set up to speed up the purchase of quality ghee that includes Dr Surendranath, Dr Vijay Bhaskar Reddy, Swarnalata, and Dr Mahadevan, who have vast knowledge in this area.

KMF stopped supplying Nandini Ghee for a few years

The halt in the supply of Nandini ghee to TTD caused controversy last year, with KMF chairman Bheema Naik stating that Tirumala Laddus would no longer be the same, as TTD had found a new company to provide the ghee for the laddu prasadam at a lower price.

“So, we had to stop the supply of Nandini ghee to TTD after many years. I can also assure you that Nandini provides the best ghee in the market and goes through all quality checks. I assume that any brand supplying ghee at a price lower than Nandini will compromise the quality," Naik stated in July last year.

Every six months, TTD invites tenders for the supply of ghee. It procures at least 1,400 tonnes of ghee twice every year to make the iconic “Tirupati Laddu” Prasadam.

TTD has recently issued a show cause notice to a company that has been supplying low-quality and adulterated ghee.

“After thorough verification and sending the ghee samples to the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), it was found that the ghee provided by one of the five suppliers has not matched the standards and also supplied adulterated ghee.

A show cause notice has also been issued for blacklisting the supplier for violating the tender norms. TTD has also warned the suppliers of stern action if they do not stick to the norms,” said TTD executive officer Syamala Rao a few days ago.

Reacting to NDDB's lab report, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, after launching Anna canteen on Thursday, said that there is no question of letting go of those who desecrated the sanctity of the Tirumala laddu, and that legal action will be taken no matter how influential the culprits may be.

"They have desecrated the sacred Tirumala. They used substandard ingredients in Sri Vari prasadam. They also used low-quality raw materials for Anna Prasadam. They played with the sentiments of devotees and acted without any limits to their greed. We will take legal action once we have evidence. No one will be spared. During Jagan's tenure, we received numerous complaints regarding Tirumala laddus,” he said.

“We are streamlining all systems in Tirumala again. The previous government acted in a way that hurt the sentiments of devotees. Jagan's government destroyed Lord Venkateswara's abode. It's not right to use God for political gains,” he added.