ARE TIRUPATI LADDUS REALLY SAFE TO EAT?

Activist alleges poor kitchen hygiene, presence of nuts and bolts in ‘prasad’

Are all delicious and very special Tirupati laddus safe? It has come under scanner as FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) has asked the Commissioner of Food Safety, Andhra Pradesh, to investigate into certification and alleged violation of food safety norms by TTD in making of laddus following a petition by a city based activist detailing on alleged lapses - finding of nut, bolt, key chain, and pan parag covers in laddus.

This comes after a petition by one T Narasimha Murthy to FSSAI seeking an investigation. FSSAI directive to AP government has triggered a debate, if at all, the delicious and all-famous laddus are safe. It will be tested for quality and certification, and other norms as specified by Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, Murthy states.

In a communique to the Commissioner of Food Safety and also Executive Officer, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, on a complaint on non-adherence of food safety norms by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, on August 1 FSSAI had written, “I’m directed to enclose herewith a copy of complaint received from Shri T Narasimha Murthy regarding gross violation of food safety norms at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD). The complaint is self-explanatory. You are requested to investigate the matter and take action as deemed appropriate under intimation to this office.”

At a time when laddus as prasadam are synonym to Tirupati and lord Venkates­h­wara/Balaji, for the unique taste for having been made of pure ghee, and known worldwide, the petition has triggered the debate. 

In his complaint to TTD in June 2016 to FSSAI, Murthy had alleged unsafe and unhygienic processing method besides deficiencies at several stages including manufacture, storage, distribution and sale.

“The cooks who are in preparation of these laddus in large quantity are found wearing no proper dress. They are working in half naked dress and found sweating due to heavy heat at the kitchen. These cooks are not wearing any hand glove, apron and other safety norms..,” Murthy had alleged.

For any food, the food safety act specifies due certification by a concerned authority or a certified lab. The same has to be displayed at Tirupati and the licence and certification renewed every year has to be put on display. But nothing couldn’t be found, alleged Murthy.

“It is noticed that the place of manufacture of food ie, laddu is not upto the standards prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The actual preparation method and employees status can be accesses by the authority at the link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= pEdGx23PD. TTD has also not displayed the licence at its premises, not complied with mandatory issuing of bills to devotees,” Murthy’s petition details.

Following this, FSSAI had sought investigation and action. Narasimha Murthy had sought information on the investigation. However, nothing has come yet. A communique to him from the joint food controller, AP in September has said that they had not received any reply had from executive director, TTD over FSSAI directive to commissioner for food safety and his directive inturn to TTD seeking their say. Following which Murthy has again moved FSSAI over inaction stating that the commissioner’s office had not initiated any action except calling for report last month. He has also filed first appeal in the case on October 26.

They have to get licence to sell it in Tirupati, and special licence to do it in Bengaluru and New Delhi too, but nothing is done, Murthy alleged.

“On every sale, they have to give bill. It should have quantity, quality, ingredients, date of manufacture and date of expiry. However, these bills have nothing of it. The food safety act gives exemption for push carts and petty shops temporary stall holder or tiny food business operator. But Tirupati is not so. Not providing information on certification even after two months only show they have none,” Murthy added.

Now an investigation will bring facts of Tirupati laddus – more on if they adhere to food act norms.

Experts feel failing to adhere to the norms specified under the food act including selling without licence may prove costly to those selling or dealing with food products.

“If any person or those in business other than those exempted manufactures, sells, stores or distributes or imports any article of food without licence can be punished with six months imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months and fine that can extend to five lakh,” Dharaneesh an advocate told Bangalore Mirror.

Murthy who had visited Tirupati to witness the process in person before lodging his complaint added, “The act states that such articles when exposed for sale, shall be kept in clean vessels or plates made of glass or metal covered with enamel or tin lining, placed in glass cases provided, if necessary, with a fly proof wire guage at the top for ventilation and that no such articles shall be touched by hand and clean spoons or other accessories shall be used for serving them. But nothing of this is being practiced.”

Other specifications

The act also mandates that licence shall allow only servants, who are dressed in clean clothes, and that the licences shall purforth with report to the health officer on any case of dangerous, infectious or contagious disease occurring on the premises. The employer and employee should satisfy health requirements including certification of those in business - not infected with any disease and certification on free from infections/diseases if infected, and health compliance as specified in the act. But none of them are existing there, Murthy alleged. Several efforts to reach TTD executive officer over the charges went in vain as none responded.

The laddus

The Tirupati laddus has more than a 300-year-old history, and are believed to date back to early 18th century. Known for its unique taste, as prasadam offered to devotees visiting Tirupati, these laddus are now registered as Geographical Indications under the GI Act. Mainly three types – Asthanam Laddu (prepared for festivals), Kalyanotsavam Laddu (prepared during kalyanotsavam), Proktham laddu (distributed to devotees every day) are known for its unique taste made of pure ghee and offered to lord Balaji first as naivedyam. The prasadam’s first existence date back to times of Pallavas who offered prasadam to deities and then Devaraya II offered naivedyam to deity and remaining food was distributed to devotees. Prasadam, which was called Tiruppongam then was called Avasaram later during Vijaynagar rulers tims, and then sold as sweet boondi by Madras government before it took shape in 1940 as laddu with growing demand for prasadam ever since time immemorial. Laddu is offered with vadai, which are a hit as Srivari Prasadam at Tirupati.

Limit for iron particles in tea increased to 250 mg/kg: FSSAI

The continuous presence of iron filings in tea has raised safety concerns and there have been many demands to fix an upper limit

Food safety regulator FSSAI has raised the upper limit for iron particles in tea powder to 250 mg per kg from the existing 150 mg, with effect from current month.

Iron fillings enter tea due to wear and tear of the processing machinery. The continuous presence of iron filings in tea has raised safety concerns and there have been many demands to fix an upper limit.

In a circular, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India(FSSAI) said: "The revised limit of iron filings in tea up to level of 250 mg per kg has been approved by the Scientific Committee."

These standards of iron filings in tea have been made operational with effect from this month. They will supersede the earlier limit operationalised on April 22, 2016, it said.

The limit has been raised after taking into consideration the comments and suggestions received from various stakeholders, it added.

FSSAI had recently conducted a large-scale laboratory analysis of tea powder for determining the limit on iron filling.

The tea leaves are dried in a sieve fitted with mesh and leaves are cut using iron rollers. Factories use huge magnets to remove iron fillings from tea powder.

Tea production in India, the world's second largest tea producer after China, stood at 795.89 million kg during April-September period of this fiscal, while 101.04 million kg of tea was exported in the same period.

The country had produced 1,233 million kg in the entire 2015-16 fiscal, of which 232.92 million kg was exported.

Gold, silver leaves

Machines can make the varakh industry a clean, hygienic and well-managed sector

- MANEKA SANJAY GANDHI

The varakh industry is huge in India, with over 300 tonnes of silver leaves used in paan, chawanprash, tobacco products, ayurvedic medicines and mithais

Nov 13, 2016- For years and years the Indian government put off the decision to make varakh, any leaf composed of pure metals, typically silver and gold, by machine on the grounds that no machines were available. Finally, this year a historic decision has been taken and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has clearly notified that no varakh can be made except by machine.

The person responsible for this change (apart from me) is Surendra Karnavat, a diamond jeweller in America. He and his wife were members of the Rajasthan Association of America and came to India in Vasundhara Raje’s first term as Chief Minister, lured by the promise that they would get all the help required to start a machine-based varakh industry. He was given none of the promised assistance and could only start in a very small way. However, he did not give up hope and started by supplying to only a few shops in his own area. I heard of him, and met him, while campaigning to make varakh in a vegetarian way. Then, when the FSSAI started to take the matter seriously, he came was called to show them how it could be done properly.

The varakh industry is huge in India, with over 300 tonnes of silver leaves used in paan, chawanprash, tobacco products, ayurvedic medicines, mithais and temples. It is used in Germany on food (the food number is E 175) and in France on photo frames. In Japan it is everywhere—interiors, tea, instruments, frescos, temples. The whole of Southeast Asia uses varakh, to pay homage to Lord Buddha. It is used on chocolates, cocktails and liquors—German Goldwasser and the Swiss Goldschlager are examples—soups, salads, ice creams, coffees. Now, gold leaf has become a part of anti-ageing creams, facepacks and foundations. The use of the gilded leaf is endless.

Gold leaf has been used for jewellery, for art decorations, picture frames and gilded art. We have used it in our glass paintings. But we don’t export it, because we make it in a dirty—and now illegal—manner. The 300 tonnes of silver used in India means: one kilo of silver has 225 gaddis (bundles) and one gaddi is 150 sheets of silver varakh that means, 6.75 crore gaddis every year. The world market asks for 300kg of goldvarakh every day.

Silver in abattoirs

Till now, the varakh makers are in slaughterhouses. They are all a sect of Muslims called Pannigars. They select cattle by feeling their intestines while they are alive, and then having them cut and extracting the intestines while they are hot. These intestines are made into pouches, and silver is beaten in between them till it is thin enough to be sold. This method is filthy and certainly not pure silver. When you eat it, you place yourself at risk.

The second method that is used by most mithai sellers—who will pretend that they are getting the varakh from vegetarian sources and also what the president of the mithai association claimed to me)—is to beat the silver between plastic sheets. However, this is also a filthy meat-based method, as the plastic is coated with animal fat for lubrication and is also then covered with leather. The varakh that emerges is not only unhygienic but also unfit for eating.

Karnavat has replaced leather or animal fat with a specially engineered paper, which is translucent and smooth. This paper is fed into a machine and the process of making varakh is completely mechanised, without coming into contact with the sweaty human hand. The leaf has a thickness of 0.18 microns in silver and 0.1 microns in gold, making it of international standards even for gold fillings and ayurvedic medicines. The machine has taken 15 years to develop and meets the guidelines of the US Food and Drug Administration.

The right way

He is one of the very few people in the world who has the knowledge of producing varakh paper (also known as interleaf paper or carbon coated paper). He wants to help low cost machines to be produced and installed, and train unskilled labourers—perhaps even the same people who have

been sitting for years at slaughterhouses and taking out the intestines of freshly killed buffaloes and cows. He believes there is scope for at least 2 lakh people to be employed, and that this is the only way for the varakh industry to become a clean, hygienic well- managed and organised sector, instead of being a filthy unorganised secretive sector that operates in the shadows of butcheries. This could also be a major employment area for women, as gold and silver leaf have to be transferred from interleaf paper to tissue paper, and this delicate exchange can be best handled by a woman. Gold and silver leaf can be major exports from India as well.

Karnavat was invited by the Chinese government to establish a unit and train their people. He refused because he wants to make India the silver/gold leaf hub of the world. This seems to me to be an excellent potential industry and, now that Mudra loans are available to small businessmen, this should be taken advantage of. In fact, if you are a large mithai maker, you should establish your own ancillary varakh leaf factory.

To join the animal welfare movement contact gandhim@nic.in, www.peopleforanimalsindia.org