Lagos Raises Alarm Over Sophisticated Adulterated Palm Oil in Markets

The Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) has warned residents about the growing presence 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 Dr Nurah Oseni, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Food Technology at Auchi Polytechnic, highlighted emerging methods being used to adulterate palm oil.

Oseni said palm oil is particularly vulnerable to adulteration because of its high trading volume, consumers’ preference for deep-red oil, price differences and informal market practices. She also noted that some sophisticated adulterants can be difficult to detect through ordinary quality checks.

Among the emerging concerns are the use of potentially carcinogenic Sudan and Azo dyes to deepen the colour of palm oil. Oseni also raised concerns about the mixing of palm oil with recovered or recycled oils, including spent cooking oil.

She further warned about multi-adulterant mixtures designed to bypass basic quality-control checks, making some contaminated products harder to identify.

As an initial precaution, Oseni advised consumers to pay attention to the appearance of palm oil before buying it. She explained that genuine palm oil may naturally separate into layers, with the lower portion appearing orange to red-yellowish rather than having a uniformly deep-red colour.

However, she stressed that appearance alone cannot conclusively establish whether palm oil has been adulterated. LASCOPA General Manager Afolabi Solebo urged residents to “shine their eyes” and report suspected adulterated palm oil and unscrupulous traders through the agency’s official channels.

Solebo said LASCOPA had intensified market surveillance across Lagos and warned that traders found selling adulterated palm oil would be arrested and prosecuted in line with relevant laws.