The Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) has warned Lagosians about emerging risks in palm oil adulteration, including the use of harmful dyes and recycled oils, urging consumers to be vigilant when purchasing the widely consumed product.
The warning followed a technical presentation at the Lagos State Food Safety Conference and Exhibition 2026, where Dr. Nurah Oseni, Senior Lecturer, Department of Food Technology, Auchi Polytechnic, presented a paper titled, “Palm Oil Adulteration: Emerging Risks, Detection Strategies and Regulatory Control.”
Oseni said palm oil was particularly vulnerable to adulteration because of its high trading volume, consumers’ association of deep-red colour with quality, price differences, informal market practices and the difficulty of detecting sophisticated adulterants.
She identified emerging risks, including the use of potentially carcinogenic Sudan and Azo dyes to alter the colour of palm oil, blending with recovered or recycled oils, including spent cooking oil, and the use of multi-adulterant mixtures designed to evade basic quality checks.
The lecturer also raised concerns over digital and traceability fraud, including falsified product labels and batch records, stressing the need for stronger surveillance and improved detection mechanisms across the supply chain.
Oseni advised consumers to use simple visual checks as an initial precaution when purchasing palm oil.
She explained that adulterated or suspicious palm oil may separate into layers, with the lower layer typically appearing orange to red-yellowish rather than uniformly deep red. She, however, cautioned that visual checks alone could not confirm adulteration.
According to her, a more reliable approach should involve a tiered detection system comprising risk-based screening, rapid physicochemical and spectroscopic tests, and confirmatory laboratory analysis, supported by proper sampling and chain-of-custody procedures.
Oseni further proposed a five-step Lagos surveillance framework: “Risk Map, Sample, Screen, Confirm and Act.”
She said the framework should be supported by an adulteration intelligence database and coordinated responsibilities among processors, traders, laboratories, regulators, researchers and consumers.
The General Manager/CEO of LASCOPA, Afolabi Solebo, Esq., reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to protecting consumers from unsafe and substandard products.
Solebo urged Lagosians to “shine their eyes” and report suspected adulterated palm oil and unscrupulous traders through the agency’s official channels as market surveillance is intensified across the state.
The agency said increased surveillance and stronger detection mechanisms were necessary to protect consumers and improve safety and accountability across the palm oil supply chain.
