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The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) ensures the quality of prasadams at Durga temple, Indrakeeladri during the ongoing Dusshera Navarathri Utsavams. In light of the concerns over adulteration, especially after allegations regarding the Laddu prasadam at Tirumala temple, the Andhra Pradesh government has ensured some serious regulation on the quality of prasadams in all the state temples.
Officials are especially targeting the raw material used in the preparation of prasadam. At the Sri Durga Malleswari Swamy Devasthanam in Vijayawada, food safety officers (FSOs) are inspecting every day. The vigilance of FSOs ensures that the sanctity and safety involved in these offerings to devotees, especially during such festival occasions, is retained.
The FSSAI has placed three Food Safety Officers (FSOs) at Sri Durga Malleswari Swamyvaarla Devasthanam, Vijayawada, to check on the prasadam quality during Dusshera Navarathri Utsavams. N. Purnachandra Rao, Joint Food Controller of Andhra Pradesh, explained that the FSOs are tasked with ensuring that the raw materials used in prasadam preparation, as well as the cooked offerings, meet the required standards.
Following concerns over the adulteration of Laddu prasadams at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), it has requested FSOs and food inspectors to keep a sharp eye on all prasadams in the state. Gummalla Srijana, Collector of the NTR district directed temple authorities to make use of quality materials only. Samples of different prasadam items such as Laddu, Pongali, and Anna prasadam were collected on the first day of the festival and sent for analysis.
Inspections ordered by Commissioner of Food Safety C Hari Kiran have been conducted beyond Vijayawada. FSOs and inspectors will ensure the sanctity of quality offerings that will be made through several major temples, including Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirumala, Sri Venkateswara Swamyvari Devasthanam at Dwaraka Tirumala, and Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamyvari Devasthanam at Simhachalam, among others.
FSSAI efforts focus on ensuring that raw materials such as milk, ghee, honey, oils, rice, jaggery, pulses, curd, and dry fruits are free from adulteration. On-duty FSO N. Ramesh Babu confirmed that the quality of the rice, sambar, Bengal gram, jaggery, and milk samples from Sri Durga Malleswara Swamyvaarla Devasthanam had been verified and deemed satisfactory.
Mr Purnachandra Rao said it is the FSO's responsibility to examine the quality of raw materials before they enter the storeroom and inspect daily to ensure quality right at the beginning of the festival. The officers were also advised to collect feedback from the devotees about the quality of prasadams being offered.
These measures are part of a broader effort by the Andhra Pradesh government to ensure that devotees receive safe and unadulterated offerings during the Dusshera Utsavams. FSSAI’s involvement reassures the public that the prasadam, an integral part of the religious experience, adheres to food safety standards.
