Tirupati devotees unfazed by animal fat row, 13 lakh laddus sold in 4 days

The demand for the laddu prasadam at the Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh has remained high despite the ongoing controversy over the use of animal fat and substandard ingredients. According to data by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) board, over 13 lakh laddus were sold from September 20-23.
On September 19, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu alleged the involvement of former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government in the adulteration of the laddu prasad at Tirupati temple.
The same day, ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) spokesperson Anam Venkata Ramana Reddy shared a report by NDDB CALF, a private laboratory, which confirmed that the samples of the ghee used in making Tirupati laddus contained foreign fat, including palm oil, fish oil, beef tallow and lard (pig fat).
Despite nationwide outrage, the laddu sales remain unaffected. From September 20, over three lakh laddus were sold every day.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) executive officer J Shyamala Rao has said that devotees can set aside their concerns regarding laddus at the temple as the sanctity of the ‘prasadams’ have been restored through a purification ritual.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a show cause notice to a Tamil Nadu-based firm, AR Dairy Food Private Ltd, for allegedly supplying substandard ghee to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, sources told India Today TV.
In the notice, the food regulator asked AR Dairy Food Private Ltd why its central licence should not be suspended for contravention of the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulation, 2011.