Karnataka Directs FSSAI To Test Quality Of Ghee Sold By Private Firms

Amid ongoing concerns regarding the use of animal fat in the production of Tirupati laddoos, the Karnataka health department has instructed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to conduct quality tests on ghee supplied by private companies within the state. Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao emphasized that all ghee samples from private manufacturers should be collected and analyzed for animal fat content.

This directive specifically includes ghee produced by the Karnataka Milk Federation’s Nandini brand, which has recently resumed its supply to the Tirupati temple. Nandini had previously provided ghee to the temple for nearly 15 years until a halt was imposed by the former YRSCP government last year due to pricing disputes. In a related move, the Karnataka government has mandated that all temples in the state exclusively use Nandini ghee for preparing prasadam, which affects over 35,000 temples statewide.