Fact Check: Pakistani firm falsely linked to adulterated ghee controversy at Tirupati Temple
The screenshot shows the employee names of a Pakistan-based company AR Foods (Pvt) Limited, not India’s Tamil Nadu-based AR Dairy Food Private Limited.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 23 Sep 2024 11:42 AM GMT
Claim: The screenshot shows the names of Muslim employees on the management team of AR Dairy Food Private Limited, accused of supplying adulterated ghee to TTD.
Fact: The claim is false. The screenshot shows employee names of a Pakistan-based company AR Foods (Pvt) Limited, not India’s Tamil Nadu-based AR Dairy Food.
Hyderabad: The controversy over Tirupati laddus has escalated into a major political dispute, with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) supporting AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s claim that the prasadam contained animal fat.
YS Jagan Mohan Reddy of the YSRCP, also the former Andhra Pradesh CM, has called these accusations “atrocious.” One of the companies AR Dairy Food Private Limited – a Tamil Nadu-based company has been accused of supplying adulterated ghee.
Against this backdrop, a LinkedIn screenshot showing Muslim names with designations at a company has been circulating on social media claiming that they are from the management team of AR Dairy Food Private Limited.
An X user shared the screenshot and wrote, “See the list of top management of the aforementioned company of Tamil Nadu which supplies desi ghee to Tirupati Balaji.” (Archive)
Several Facebook users have shared this screenshot claiming the same.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found the claim is false as the screenshot shows the employee names of a Pakistan-based company AR Foods (Pvt) Limited, not India’s Tamil Nadu-based AR Dairy Food Private Limited.
We noticed that the screenshot shows the employee’s names from AR Foods (Pvt) Limited, with the location tagged as Pakistan. Following this lead, we searched for the company on LinkedIn and found that it is a food and beverage services company based in Islamabad, Pakistan, specialising in rice, spices, salt, vinegar, and vermicelli. Additionally, we checked the company’s employees and confirmed the same name as shown in the viral screenshot.
We also reviewed the website of AR Foods (Pvt) Limited. According to their site, AR Foods, founded in 1970, is a well-established household name in Pakistan. The company is known for producing a variety of food products under the brand name ‘Phool.’ The website does not have any information on the management of the company.
Further, we checked the website of AR Dairy Food Private Limited. According to the site, the company was established in 1995. It is headquartered in Madurai Road, Dindigul. The company is involved in the production and supply of dairy items such as milk, curd ghee, butter and other milk-based products. It sells its products under the brand name Raaj Milk Pan India and Malabar Milk in Kerala.
The directors’ profile section on the website lists Rajasekaran R as the managing director, with Suria Prabha R and Srinivasan SR as directors, contradicting the viral claim that the company is run by Muslims. Likewise, a review of the company’s technical team further disproves the viral claim, as none of the names match those seen in the screenshot.
We also found an article by Hindustan Times published on September 21, which reported that the Tamil Nadu-based dairy company was founded in 1995 and is managed by three directors: Rajasekaran R, Suria Prabha R, and Srinivasan SR. The report further mentioned that Rajasekaran R has denied the allegations of adulteration.
NewsMeter has reached out to Pakistan-based company AR Foods (Pvt) Limited for their clarification. The story will be updated as and when they respond.
Hence, we conclude that the viral screenshot does not show the names of the employees working with India’s Tamil Nadu-based AR Dairy Food Private Limited. The claim is false.
