Tirupati laddu to get GI tag

The prasad (offerings from a place of worship) from Tirupati, the famous Tirupati laddu will soon get a geographical indication (GI) tag. The GI status is granted to identify a product as having a specific provenance, and with a certain quality or reputation associated with that origin. Some of the items that have been granted GIs are Kashmir pashmina, Darjeeling tea and Kancheepuram silk.
 
TTD had sought the GI tag for the laddu under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, after failing to curb sale of counterfeit versions by hawkers seeking to exploit the growing demand from visitors to the temple.

Apparently, it will be the first time that an offerings from a place of worship anywhere in the world will be recognised as an intellectual property (IP), according to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), a trust that manages the temple at Tirupati.

An expert panel appointed by the Registrar of Geographical Indications met at the temple last month to examine the merits of the application and has recommended granting the GI tag to the Tirupati laddu.

The laddu, made from flour, sugar, ghee (clarified butter), oil, cardamom and dry fruits is sought after by those visiting the temple located in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.

The priests in the temple's kitchen prepare around 50 million laddus every year for around 25 million visitors to the temple. TTD distributes one laddu to each visitor free of charge and sells them at Rs5 apiece.