Amid the controversy over allegations of contamination in the laddu prasadam at the Sri Venkateswara Temple, Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav has said that a state-of-the-art food testing laboratory that is taking shape in Tirupati district’s Tirumala — the temple town where the famous temple is located — will start functioning next month.
The minister made the statement during a review meeting on the progress of the project.
The lab is coming up following an agreement signed by the Andhra Pradesh government and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in October 2024. Approximately Rs 25 crore was sanctioned for the project.
While the lab will have advanced equipment to test various types of foods, the main instruments will be what are being referred to as an “electronic tongue” and “electronic nose”, which are being imported from France at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore. Yadav said the device can detect even the minutest changes in the purity, taste, smell, and texture of ghee. This is part of efforts to ensure that the quality of ghee used to prepare the famous laddu and other offerings remains of the highest standards.
Dozens of other equipment, including sensors to detect freshness of raw materials, and microbiology testers are also being set up at the lab.
“The testing at the lab will ensure that the laddu and the prasadams served to the devotees will be of the highest quality. About 90% of the work is over, and operations may start next month,” Yadav said.
Just like the existing Water and Food Analysis Laboratory of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams — the body that runs the temple — the new lab will test over 60 varieties of raw materials used in preparing the laddus and other offerings, including ghee, cashew, cardamom, sugar, almonds, jeera, water, dry fruits, rice, raisin, chickpea, sugar, and so on. Advanced Instruments that can detect metal contamination, pesticide residues, etc, are also being set up in the lab.
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The TTD had allotted the old flour mill premises with 12,000 square feet of space to set up the lab after renovating it. A team of 40, including the existing TTD health department staff, along with members of the state health department, will operate the lab.
Last July, amidst serious allegations that adulterated ghee was used to make laddus, the TTD had established a new Food Quality Testing Laboratory at Tirumala, which was inaugurated by chairman B R Naidu. Equipment worth Rs 75 lakh had been donated by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) of Gujarat. All this equipment will be integrated into the new lab, officials said, adding that some of the lab staff will undergo special training at CFTRI in Mysore.
Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance.
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