The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has written to the Central Licensing Authority in Chennai to inspect the ‘pottu’ in the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam in Andhra Pradesh where the laddu is prepared, and directed it to obtain a central licence to run the kitchen.
Last October, following an RTI application by Bengaluru-based activist T. Narasimhamurthy, the director of food safety management system had insisted that the TTD obtain a a food safety licence like any other Food Business Operator for the famed Tirupati laddu.
There was no response, according to Mr. Narasimhamurthy. In December 2016, he sent a letter to the Director, Institute of Preventive Medicine, A.P., seeking the prosecution of TTD officials under Section 62 (obstructing food safety officer) and 63 (punishment for carrying out business without a licence).
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Legal notice
“As there was no proper response, I sent a legal notice to the institute of Preventive Medicine on March 18, 2017. In response, the FSSAI sent me a letter updating me on the action taken,” he said.