An employee from AR Dairy Food Private Limited—a Tamil Nadu-based company facing allegations of supplying adulterated ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams(TTD) for Sri Venkateswara Temple prasadam—has dismissed the claims as “absurd.

Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding alleged use of animal fat in Tirupati laddus, the Tirumala Tirupati Deasthanams (TTD), the trusts that manages the temple, has reportedly denied that adulterated ghee that arrived in July was used to prepare the laddus.

TTD has introduced a ghee testing system for the first time to ensure the purity of ingredients used in the famous Tirupati laddu prasadam. This initiative, led by Executive Officer Shamala Rao, addresses concerns about adulteration and will blacklist suppliers providing impure products.

The dairy cooperative, Karnataka Milk Federation, resumed supplying Nandini Ghee to TTD a month ago after being awarded the tender by the temple trust.

The company’s response came after TTD Executive Officer Shyamala Rao announced that four out of ten ghee tankers supplied by AR Dairy were found to be adulterated. The investigation followed complaints about the declining quality of the temple’s laddus, a popular prasadam (offering) given to devotees.

The company, AR Dairy Food Private Limited, was blacklisted on Friday for allegedly supplying products of substandard quality.

In the past days the controversy around the sacred Tirupati Laddu has taken a centre stage in India as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu alleged that animal fat, including beef tallow,

AR Dairy, a Tamil Nadu-based supplier of ghee to the renowned Tirumala Tirupati temple, has strongly denied allegations of animal fat

Amul denies supplying ghee to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam amid concerns over laddu quality, assures purity of their product.