Ayodhya Ram temple gets FSSAI 'Eat Right Place of Worship' tag for prasad

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, the trust that runs the Ram temple in Ayodhya, has been certified as an "Eat Right Place of Worship" by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). FSSAI chief executive Rajit Punhani handed over the certificate at a ceremony in Ayodhya on Saturday, 10 October 2026, and the regulator announced it in a statement on Sunday, 11 October. The certificate is valid for two years, from 11 October 2026 to 10 October 2028, and covers the food the temple serves and sells to devotees, including prasad.

For millions of Hindus, prasad is not a snack but a blessing. It is cooked in large quantities, often in hot weather, and handed out to large crowds on festival days. That makes temple kitchens one of the largest and least visible food operations in India. When something goes wrong, the harm can be wide, and the loss of trust can be deep.

FSSAI's Eat Right Place of Worship programme is meant to bring temple, gurudwara and other religious kitchens under the same basic hygiene rules that apply to restaurants. According to the regulator, its aim is to build awareness among places of worship so that malpractice and irregularities in food served as prasad or langar are prevented, and that the kitchens follow the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The scheme is voluntary: a place of worship applies, its kitchen is checked against a list, its staff are trained, and an outside auditor makes the final call.

The Ayodhya temple draws very large crowds, especially on festival days. Its certification during Navratri, when crowds swell, gives the scheme a high-profile example and may encourage other large shrines to apply. It also gives devotees a simple signal that the kitchen preparing their prasad has been inspected by someone other than the temple itself.

The certificate is not a permanent stamp. It lasts two years, after which the temple must be audited again to keep it.

Short-term: Devotees visiting Ayodhya during Navratri and the festive season receive prasad from a kitchen that has passed an external food-safety audit.

Long-term: A certification for such a high-profile temple could push other large shrines to put their kitchens through the same checks, raising hygiene standards for religious food across the country.

Who is affected: Pilgrims to Ayodhya, the temple trust and its kitchen staff, vendors who sell prasad linked to the temple, and other places of worship weighing whether to apply.

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