The Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) has issued an urgent warning to residents particularly during grocery shopping that might want to take a closer look at that bottle of red oil in your kitchen about a wave of dangerous, adulterated palm oil flooding local markets in the State.
Unscrupulous traders using toxic industrial chemicals like Sudan and Azo dyes —alongside recycled cooking oils— to artificially mimic the deep-red color that shoppers look for.
The alert stems from an expert presentation by Dr. Nurah Oseni of Auchi Polytechnic, who spoke at the recent Lagos State Food Safety Conference.
Dr. Oseni explained that fraudsters heavily target palm oil because of massive trading volumes and a common consumer bias: the mistaken belief that a darker, uniform red means higher quality.
Arising from the above concerns, the LASCOPA General Manager, Afolabi Solebo, has reaffirmed the agency’s zero-tolerance policy. Market surveillance across the state has been drastically scaled up, and any traders caught selling adulterated products face immediate arrest and prosecution.
”Shine your eyes and report suspected adulterated palm oil through our official channels,” Solebo urged Lagos residents.
Test for Shoppers
While experts note that visual inspection alone cannot guarantee 100% safety, Dr. Oseni shared a handy preliminary trick for everyday shoppers:
Check the layers:
Authentic, pure palm oil naturally separates into distinct layers over time, with the lower layer showing a natural orange to red-yellowish hue.
Beware of uniformity:
If the oil maintains a suspiciously deep, uniform red all the way through without any natural separation, it may have been chemically altered.
