Tirupati temple prasad conflict: Consumer organizations demanded strict punishment for the culprits

New Delhi| Consumer organizations of the country have expressed strong concern over the news of animal fat and fish oil being found in the laddus of Tirupati Temple, a major pilgrimage site of Hindu religion, and have demanded an impartial high-level investigation into the matter and strictest punishment to the culprits. National Chairman of Consumer Confederation of India ‘CCI’, the country’s largest network of consumer organizations, and President of leading consumer organization ‘Caines’ Dr. Anant Sharma said that this is not just a question related to religious faith, but is also a huge disregard for the consumer laws of the country. He said that a license was also taken from the Food Safety and Standards Authority for the laddus of Tirupati Devasthanam, yet such a case coming to light raises questions on all the arrangements.
He said that cases of adulterated ghee are being reported in large numbers across the country and selling such ghee to Tirupati Devasthanams shows the increased morale of adulterators. He said that in many areas of India, puja ghee is sold around temples in the name of puja, which is mostly fake and adulterated. At many places, words like ‘not for food use’ are also printed on it in small letters so that action cannot be taken against them under food laws. He said that the sale of such ghee should also be banned immediately. A special delegation of consumer organizations will study the entire matter in this regard and release its report soon.