Unveiling the Adulteration Scandal: Controversy Surrounding “Cow Ghee” in Tirupati Laddu Production

During the YSRC tenure, the use of “cow ghee” in the production of Tirupati laddu sparked controversy as lab test reports revealed a mixture of not only soybean oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, and corn oil but also fish oil, beef tallow, palm oil, and even pork fat. Anam Venkataramana Reddy, a spokesperson for the Telugu Desam party, presented these reports to support Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s assertion that adulterated ghee had been incorporated into the laddus made at Tirumala. These examinations took place at the National Dairy Development Board’s cattle feed laboratory. In Nellore, he addressed the media, emphasizing that the YSRC’s dishonest practices had been unveiled through the findings of the National Dairy Development Board’s cattle feed laboratory tests. “The ghee utilized during the YSRC administration included animal fats, validating our concerns about the desecration of our revered laddus,” he remarked. Following the change in government, ghee samples were sent for testing by the TTD on July 12, 2024, with the alarming results being received on July 23. The disclosed reports indicate that the so-called “cow ghee” was not limited to vegetable oils such as soybean oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, and corn oil, but also contained fish oil, beef tallow, palm oil, and even pork fat.