LAGOS — The Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency, LASCOPA, has raised the alarm over the increasing circulation of sophisticated adulterated palm oil in markets across the state.
The warning followed a technical presentation at the Lagos State Food Safety Conference and Exhibition, where a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Food Technology at Auchi Polytechnic, Dr. Nurah Oseni, highlighted emerging methods being used to adulterate palm oil and the potential health risks involved.
Oseni, in her paper titled “Palm Oil Adulteration: Emerging Risks, Detection Strategies and Regulatory Control,” said palm oil remains highly vulnerable to adulteration because of its high trading volume, consumers’ preference for deep-red colour as an indicator of quality, price differences, informal market practices and the increasing sophistication of adulteration techniques.
She identified several emerging risks, including the use of potentially carcinogenic Sudan and Azo dyes to intensify the colour of palm oil.
Other concerns highlighted include the blending of palm oil with recovered or recycled oils, including spent cooking oil, as well as the use of multiple adulterants designed to evade basic quality-control checks.
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LASCOPA General Manager, Afolabi Solebo, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to protecting Lagos consumers from unsafe, substandard and adulterated products.
Solebo urged residents to “shine their eyes” when purchasing palm oil and to report suspected cases of adulteration and unscrupulous traders through LASCOPA’s official channels.
He said the agency has intensified surveillance across markets in the state and warned that anyone found involved in the distribution or sale of adulterated palm oil would be arrested and prosecuted under the relevant laws.
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Oseni also advised consumers to carry out simple visual checks as an initial precaution.
According to her, authentic palm oil may naturally separate into layers, with the lower portion appearing orange to red-yellowish, rather than having a uniformly deep-red appearance.
However, she stressed that visual inspection alone cannot conclusively establish whether palm oil has been adulterated.
The latest warning comes amid growing concerns over food safety and the need for stronger monitoring of food products within informal and formal markets.
Consumers are therefore advised to purchase palm oil from trusted sources and report products suspected to be adulterated to the relevant authorities.
