The Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) has raised concerns over increasingly sophisticated palm oil adulteration in Lagos, urging residents to remain 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, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Food Technology, Auchi Polytechnic. Her paper, titled “Palm Oil Adulteration: Emerging Risks, Detection Strategies and Regulatory Control,” highlighted the growing risks associated with adulterated palm oil.
Dr. Oseni identified several factors making palm oil vulnerable to adulteration, including its high trading volume, consumers’ perception that deep-red colour indicates quality, price differences and informal market practices. She also noted that sophisticated adulterants can be difficult to detect through basic checks.
Among the emerging risks she highlighted were the use of potentially carcinogenic Sudan and Azo dyes to alter the colour of palm oil, the blending of palm oil with recovered or recycled oils, including spent cooking oil, and the use of multiple adulterants designed to evade routine quality checks.
She further warned about digital and traceability fraud, including falsified product labels and batch records, stressing the need for stronger surveillance and improved detection methods throughout the supply chain.
As an initial precaution, Dr. Oseni advised consumers to conduct simple visual checks, 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 stressed that visual inspection alone cannot confirm adulteration.
She recommended a tiered detection system involving risk-based screening, rapid physicochemical and spectroscopic tests, and confirmatory laboratory analysis, supported by proper sampling and chain-of-custody procedures.
Dr. Oseni also proposed a five-step Lagos surveillance framework — Risk Map, Sample, Screen, Confirm and Act — backed by an adulteration intelligence database and coordinated efforts among processors, traders, laboratories, regulators, researchers and consumers.
LASCOPA General Manager/CEO, Afolabi Solebo, Esq., reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to protecting Lagos consumers from unsafe and substandard products. He urged residents to “shine their eyes” and report suspected adulterated palm oil and unscrupulous traders through LASCOPA’s official channels as the Agency intensifies market surveillance across the state.