Karnataka asks food regulator to test quality of ghee sold by private firms

Amid the row over animal fat being used in the making of Tirupati laddoo, the Karnataka health department has directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to test the quality of ghee sold by private companies in the state.
Speaking to India Today TV, Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said, “The samples of ghee, produced by all private companies, should be collected and tested for animal fat.”
This includes Karnataka Milk Federation’s Nandini ghee as well, which has recently resumed supplying ghee to the Tirupati temple, following Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s directive. Nandini had been supplying ghee to the temple till last year, when the then YRSCP government stopped sourcing the Nandini ghee, after nearly 15 years of association, over pricing issues.
Recently, the Karnataka government also ordered all temples in the state to use Nandini ghee to make prasadam.
The over 35,000 temples in the state have been ordered to use only Nandini ghee for making laddoos or any other type of prasadam, a government circular stated.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu accused the previous Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government of using animal fat and substandard ingredients in making the Tirupati laddoo.
A report by NDDB CALF, a private laboratory focused on testing animal feed and milk and milk products, has revealed that the samples of the ghee used in making Tirupati laddoos contained foreign fat, including palm oil, fish oil, beef tallow and lard (obtained from pig).