Amid claims of supplying animal fat in ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), A R Dairy Food Private Limited has rejected these allegations. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had earlier alleged that animal fat was being used to prepare the prasad at the religious Tirupati Temple.

In an exclusive interview with CNN-News18, Managing Director of the company, Rajasekaran Raju said that the company used only cow milk for its ghee products and every batch is tested very strictly. “There is no possibility of animal fat in our ghee,” he added.

On the Tirumala Laddoo Scandal, the Executive officer of Tirumala Tirupathi Devastanam (TTD) Shamala Rao said that the report confirms the ghee sample was adulterated with vegetable fat and also animal fat. Animal fat adulteration includes lard (pig fat), palm oil, beef tallow, and fish oil including grape seed and linseed. The ghee sample was a concoction of all this and the result was abnormally low. Pure milk fat should have a reading between 95.68 to 104.32, but all our ghee samples had values around 20, which means the ghee supplied is highly adulterated… We started the procedure for blacklisting and also penalising the supplier. We formed an expert committee to improve ghee supplies and also to strengthen our internal system so that we don’t face this problem again… We have found suppliers who have passed the tests… We have been asked by the expert committee to set up our own lab… This problem will be solved in the future.”