Amid Tirupati row, Raj govt to run special campaign for prasad quality check

Amid the ongoing controversy over animal fat and fish oil found in Tirupati temple laddus, a special campaign will be launched by Rajasthan's Food Safety Department from September 23 to 26 to check the quality of bhog and prasad in temples.

Samples of Savamani and the prasad given regularly in temples will be tested under this campaign.

Additional Commissioner of Food Safety Department, Pankaj Ojha said: "This investigation will be done under the campaign 'Shuddh Aahar, Milawat Par Vaar' in Rajasthan on the initiative of the Chief Minister. In this, all the big temples where prasad is made daily in the form of bhog, the quality of various food items will be checked."

So far, 54 temples in the state have applied for a Bhog Certificate. Besides the quality of prasad, hygiene will also be inspected. The concerned departments of Rajasthan have been informed accordingly. This campaign will be run by a special team.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) launched a certification scheme for Bhog under the 'Eat Right' initiative. Under this scheme, vendors selling prasad and food items at religious places are given certificates. This certificate is given to temples and religious places that follow food safety standards and hygiene standards.

So far, 54 religious places and temples in Rajasthan have been registered for the Bhog Certificate by the Food Safety and Drug Control Department, Jaipur. Moti Dungri Ganesh Temple of Jaipur is the first religious place to receive a Bhog Certificate. Prasad given at a religious place that has received this type of certificate vouches for the standards and quality assurance of FSSAI.

This certificate is renewed after an audit every six months. For the certificate, the team of FSSAI prepares a report after inspecting the standards of the temple kitchen.