The Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency has cautioned residents about the increasing sophistication of palm oil adulteration, urging consumers to exercise greater care when buying the commonly used product.
The agency also announced plans to step up market surveillance across Lagos as part of efforts to prevent unsafe and substandard palm oil from reaching consumers.
The warning followed a technical presentation delivered at the Lagos State Food Safety Conference and Exhibition 2026 by a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Food Technology at Auchi Polytechnic, Dr Nurah Oseni.
According to a statement shared by the Lagos State Government on Facebook on Monday, Oseni presented a paper titled, “Palm Oil Adulteration: Emerging Risks, Detection Strategies and Regulatory Control.”
The lecturer identified several factors that make palm oil susceptible to adulteration, including its high volume of trade, price variations, informal market practices and the widespread belief among consumers that a deep-red colour indicates better quality.
She said, “Palm oil is particularly vulnerable to adulteration because of its high trading volume, consumers’ association of deep-red colour with quality, price differences, informal market practices, and challenges in detecting sophisticated adulterants.”
Oseni raised concerns over the use of potentially carcinogenic Sudan and Azo dyes to manipulate the colour of palm oil. She also warned about the mixing of palm oil with recovered or recycled oils, including spent cooking oil.
She further noted that some adulterants were being combined in ways designed to bypass basic quality checks, while fraudulent practices involving fake product labels and batch records could make traceability more difficult.
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The lecturer called for stronger surveillance along the supply chain and the adoption of improved methods for detecting adulterated palm oil.
For consumers, Oseni recommended simple visual checks as an initial precaution when purchasing the product. She explained that palm oil could naturally separate into layers, with the lower portion generally appearing orange to red-yellowish rather than having a completely uniform deep-red colour.
She, however, stressed that visual inspection alone was not sufficient to establish whether palm oil had been adulterated.
Oseni recommended a tiered approach to detection, beginning with risk-based screening, followed by rapid physicochemical and spectroscopic testing and, where necessary, confirmatory laboratory analysis.
She said such measures should be backed by appropriate sampling procedures and a clear chain of custody to ensure reliable results.
The lecturer also proposed a five-stage surveillance framework for Lagos: “Risk Map, Sample, Screen, Confirm and Act”.
According to her, the framework should be complemented by an intelligence database on adulteration and clearly coordinated roles for processors, traders, laboratories, regulators, researchers and consumers.
Meanwhile, the General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of LASCOPA, Afolabi Solebo, reiterated the agency’s commitment to safeguarding Lagos residents from unsafe and substandard products.
Solebo urged consumers to remain alert and report suspected adulterated palm oil as well as traders involved in unscrupulous practices through the agency’s official channels.
He said, “We urge Lagosians to shine their eyes and report suspected adulterated palm oil and unscrupulous traders through the Agency’s official channels.”
Solebo added that LASCOPA would intensify its market surveillance efforts across the state.