1 lakh packets of Appam destroyed at Sabarimala - The Hindu

State Food Safety team detects fungal infestation

The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has destroyed a huge quantity of Appam, a major prasadom at Lord Ayyappa Temple, owing to fungal infestation.

As many as 1 lakh packets (each packet contains seven Appams) of the prasasom which were found unfit for human consumption have been burnt in the incinerator at the Sannidhanam, TDB sources said.

The State Food Safety inspection team detected the fungal infestation in random samples collected for examination from the Devaswom store two days ago.

The matter was brought to the notice of Special Commissioner appointed by the Kerala High Court K. Babu who, in turn, directed the Joint Commissioner of Food Safety to conduct a detailed examination of the entire Appam stock at Sabarimala.

Talking to The Hindu , Mr. Babu said an expert team led by the Joint Commissioner of Food Safety conducted a thorough examination of the Appam stock at the TDB godown at the Sannidhanam on Thursday. The team found as many as one lakh packets of Appam that had fungal infestation and were not fit for human consumption.

The Special Commissioner directed the TDB authorities not to supply the stale Appam to the devotees and to take steps for its safe disposal at the earliest.

Mr. Babu said the TDB Commissioner and the Joint Commissioner of Food Safety had informed him that the entire stock of the fungus-infested Appam was disposed of on Thursday night.

He said Devaswom executive officer K. Sankaranarayana Pillai had clarified that adding extra bananas to the rice flour for making the Appam soft on the recommendations of the Mysore-based Central Food Technological Research Institute might have affected the shelf life of the prasadom.

The Food Safety team had attributed the problem to the excessive water content in the Appam, Mr. Babu said.

Heavy loss

The TDB has incurred a loss of at least Rs.25 lakh owing to the Appam going stale, not to mention loss of goodwill and impact on devotees’ sentiments.

There were also allegations of indifference to ensuring the quality of Appam reportedly owing to difference of opinion among the board staff over the contract given for Appam preparation at Sabarimala this year.

The Special Commissioner said a detailed inquiry would be conducted soon into the circumstances leading to deterioration in the prasadom quality.

He said strict instructions had been given to the board authorities to ensure the quality of Appam.