The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has granted A. R. Dairy Food of Dindigul additional time to respond to a show cause notice issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Justice N. Sathish Kumar presided over the case, which revolved around the company’s supply of ghee for the famous Tirupati laddu.
A. R. Dairy Food, represented by authorized signatory G. Kannan, had challenged the show cause notice that questioned the validity of its contract with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). The company began supplying ghee on June 4, 2023, with TTD accepting four consignments after clearance from their in-house testing laboratory. However, in July, four additional consignments were rejected without explanation, leading to the issuance of show cause notices regarding potential contract cancellation and blacklisting.
In response to the initial notices, A. R. Dairy had provided their explanations, but the matter remained unresolved. TTD’s decision to reject the ghee relied heavily on lab reports from the Gujarat-based National Dairy Development Boardās Calf (NDDB-Calf), which the petitioner argued was not a designated food safety officer under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) of 2006.
On September 20, the FSSAI issued a show cause notice to A. R. Dairy, seeking an explanation for why its central license should not be suspended for alleged violations of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulation of 2011. However, the company contended that the FSSAI had not adhered to proper procedures as outlined in the FSSA, claiming that samples were taken from their facility only after the notice was issued.
The dairy responded to these allegations on September 22, denying the claims made against it. Nonetheless, another notice was issued on September 27, again referencing NDDB-Calf’s findings.
With the latest ruling from the Madras High Court, A. R. Dairy now has the opportunity to adequately respond to the FSSAI’s supplementary notice, providing a further chance to contest the actions taken against them. This case highlights ongoing concerns about food safety regulations and compliance in the supply chain for one of the most iconic offerings of the Tirupati temple.