Controversy Surrounds Tirupati Laddoo! Nandini Ghee Restored After Animal Fat Claims

The controversy surrounding the use of animal fat in Tirupati laddoos has brought attention to the quality of ghee used in their preparation. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, citing a lab report, claimed that animal fat, such as fish oil and beef tallow, was found in the ghee procured during the YSR Congress Party regime. This has highlighted the decision to stop sourcing Nandini ghee last year.

Nandini ghee is well known for its quality. It was supplied by the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) for nearly 15 years.But the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government stopped procuring it due to pricing issues. KMF had opted out of the bidding process after a milk price hike, making it unable to provide ghee at a competitive rate. As a result the contract was awarded to another bidder.

KMF President K. Bheema Naik expressed concerns that the laddoos’ taste would suffer due to the change in ghee, stating that Nandini ghee had passed all quality checks. His remarks sparked a political dispute, with accusations of compromised laddoo quality and political interference from the YSR Congress Party.

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After Chandrababu Naidu returned to power in July, Nandini ghee began being supplied again to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) board in August. Naidu took steps to bring back the original taste of the laddoos, which depend on high-quality ingredients like ghee, cashew nuts, raisins, and cardamom. The TTD makes about 3.5 lakh laddoos in a day. The cost of each day is around Rs 40 per laddoo.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams has also set up a committee to ensure that only high-quality ghee is used for making the famous prasadam.