The Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) has warned residents against the growing threat of palm oil adulteration, 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 by Dr. Nurah Oseni, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Food Technology, Auchi Polytechnic.
Presenting a paper titled, “Palm Oil Adulteration: Emerging Risks, Detection Strategies and Regulatory Control,” Oseni said palm oil was particularly vulnerable to adulteration due to its high trading volume, consumers’ association of deep-red colour with quality, price differences and informal market practices.
She identified emerging adulteration methods, including the use of potentially carcinogenic Sudan and Azo dyes to alter the colour of palm oil, blending with recovered or recycled oils such as spent cooking oil, and the use of multiple adulterants designed to evade basic quality checks.
Oseni also raised concerns over traceability and digital fraud, including falsified product labels and batch records, stressing the need for stronger surveillance and improved detection mechanisms across the palm oil supply chain.
She advised consumers to use visual checks as an initial precaution, noting that palm oil may separate into layers, with the lower layer typically appearing orange to red-yellowish rather than uniformly deep red. However, she cautioned that visual inspection alone cannot confirm adulteration.
The food technology expert recommended a tiered detection system involving risk-based screening, rapid physicochemical and spectroscopic tests, as well as confirmatory laboratory analysis supported by proper sampling and chain-of-custody procedures.
Oseni also proposed a five-step surveillance framework for Lagos — Risk Map, Sample, Screen, Confirm and Act — backed by an adulteration intelligence database and coordinated efforts among processors, traders, laboratories, regulators, researchers and consumers.
The General Manager/CEO of LASCOPA, Afolabi Solebo, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to protecting consumers from unsafe and substandard products, urging Lagosians to “shine their eyes” and report suspected adulterated palm oil and unscrupulous traders through the agency’s official channels.
Solebo added that LASCOPA was intensifying market surveillance across the state to detect and address cases of adulteration and protect consumers.
