The News Minute: Chennai: Saturday,
April 15, 2017.
The Tirumala
Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), the governing body of the Sri Venkateswara temple
atop Tirumala, may soon have to apply for a central license to run its kitchen,
after orders from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Writing for
The Hindu, Vivek Narayanan reported that the FSSAI also asked the Central
Licensing Authority in Chennai to inspect the 'pottu' used in preparing the
temple's famous laddus.
This order
came after an RTI application by a Bengaluru-based RTI activist in December
last year.
This would
mean that the TTD would have to follow regulations of the Food Safety Standards
Act.
At the time,
it was reported that Director of Food Safety Management System (FSMS), Suneeti
Toteja, wrote a letter which read, "The applicability of the Act is not
affected whether the food is purchased or distributed free of cost. TTD
therefore has to obtain a licence and fulfil all responsibilities of an FBO as
stipulated in Section 23 of the FSS Act."
In his
compliant, the RTI activist reportedly wrote, “The cooks who are in preparation
of these laddus in large quantity are found wearing no proper dress. They are
working in half naked dress and found sweating due to heavy heat at the
kitchen. These cooks are not wearing any hand glove, apron and other safety
norms.”
The laddu is
a major source of the TTD's revenue and adds several crore rupees to its annual
budget. It is made with flour, sugar, ghee, oil, cardamom and dry fruits.
However,
objects like iron pins, key chains and even gutka packets have been previously
found in the laddus.
In 2016, a
total of 10.46 crore laddus, were sold as 'prasadam'. In its 2017 budget, the
TTD stated that the sale of laddus was expected to fetch Rs 165 crore.
In 2015, the
laddu entered its 300th year.
Temple
officials say the sacred offering was introduced on August 2, 1715.
The laddu is
in great demand on special occasions. The authorities sell the prasad round the
clock during Brahmotsavam.
In 2014,
about 1.8 million laddus were sold in the first seven days of Brahmotsavam,
breaking all previous records.
In 2014, the
Office of the Registrar of Patents, Trademarks and Geographical Indications
also awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) status to the Tirupati laddu.