Karnataka temples’ prasad to undergo quality testing

Mangalore Today News Network/News18

Bengaluru, Mar 14, 2024: The State Food Safety and Quality Department has issued a notification to the Karnataka Religious Endowment Department to ensure that the ‘Prasad’ distributed to the devotees must be tested.

 

The notification highlighted that recently, the state witnessed multiple incidents where devotees fell sick after consuming the ‘Prasad’ that was distributed in the temples.

The notification also mentioned that as the matter is concerning, the endowment department should examine the quality of ‘Prasad’ and the kind of ingredients used for its preparation.

It is also strictly mentioned in the notification that the quality examination should be taken up only in the approved Food Safety and Standards Authority and National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories.

There are a total of 34,563 temples in Karnataka under the Muzrai (Hindu religious endowment) department, categorised as grades A, B, and C based on their revenue generation.

Temples with revenue above Rs 25 lakh fall under Category A, 139 temples with revenue between Rs 5- 25 lakh fall under Category B, and 34,217 temples with less than Rs 5 lakh annual revenue are categorized under Category C. Meaning all 34,563 temples that come under the endowment department will have to follow the notification.

In December 2023, one woman died and around 135 fell ill after allegedly consuming the ‘Prasad’ at multiple prominent temples in Hoskote in Bengaluru Rural limits where special programmes were organized on Hanuman Jayanti. Officials had suspected it to be a case of food poisoning.

Speaking to News18, the Karnataka Endowment Department Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that he doesn’t have the complete information about the notification, but he has learnt that it is for the quality testing of the ‘Prasad’.