The controversy surrounding the alleged adulteration of ghee used in Tirupati laddu prasadam has intensified, with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu claiming that “bathroom cleaning chemicals” were used in the sacred offering during the previous YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government’s tenure.
Speaking at a public event in Kurnool, Naidu alleged that similar adulteration may have occurred at the Srisailam temple, escalating concerns over the integrity of dairy products supplied to major religious institutions. His remarks come amid heightened political confrontation, but they also underscore deeper structural vulnerabilities in India’s bulk dairy procurement and quality control systems.
What The Investigations Reveal
According to a CBI chargesheet, the ghee supplied for Tirupati laddus between 2019 and 2024 was not found to contain animal fats such as beef tallow or lard. However, the investigation concluded that the product was adulterated with vegetable oils and chemical substances, confirming serious violations of food safety norms.
The chargesheet details how non-food-grade industrial chemicals, including LABSA (Linear Alkyl Benzene Sulphonic Acid), commonly used in bathroom and toilet cleaning products, were allegedly supplied through a network of intermediaries. LABSA is a corrosive substance and poses severe health risks if ingested. Investigators allege that these chemicals were routed through private dairy firms, including Bhole Baba Organic Dairy Milk Pvt Ltd, raising alarms over the misuse of industrial inputs in the dairy value chain.
Procurement Dilution And Traceability Gaps
The Tirupati case mirrors a recurring pattern seen in recent institutional dairy scandals:
- Dilution of tender norms
- Over-reliance on private intermediaries
- Weak end-to-end traceability
- Inadequate independent testing of bulk ghee supplies
Temple administrations traditionally sourced ghee from cooperative dairies, where quality protocols, batch records, and regulatory oversight are relatively stronger. The shift towards private suppliers without manufacturing infrastructure has significantly increased adulteration risks.
Faith, Food Safety And Public Trust
Ghee used in temple prasadam occupies a unique position, consumed not merely as food but as a sacred offering by millions of devotees. Adulteration in such products, therefore, carries public health, ethical, and cultural consequences, extending well beyond routine regulatory breaches. While political exchanges dominate headlines, dairy sector experts caution that focusing solely on partisan blame risks obscuring the systemic regulatory failures that allowed industrial chemicals to enter the food chain.
Broader Implications For The Dairy Sector
The Tirupati laddu episode has far-reaching implications for India’s dairy industry:
- It weakens consumer trust in bulk dairy products
- It highlights enforcement gaps under FSSAI regulations
- It reinforces the need for mandatory third-party testing for institutional buyers
- It strengthens the case for cooperative-led procurement models in sensitive consumption settings
Unless procurement governance is tightened and quality audits institutionalised, experts warn that similar breaches could recur across public and religious institutions.
