The Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency has warned residents against the consumption of adulterated palm oil, following concerns over the circulation of sophisticated adulterated products in markets across the state.

The agency raised the alarm at the Lagos State Food Safety Conference and Exhibition, where a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Food Technology, Auchi Polytechnic, Dr Nurah Oseni, presented a paper on emerging risks associated with palm oil adulteration.

Oseni, in her paper titled, “Palm Oil Adulteration: Emerging Risks, Detection Strategies and Regulatory Control,” said palm oil was highly susceptible to adulteration because of its high trading volume, consumers’ preference for deep-red colour as an indicator of quality, price differences and informal market practices.

She identified the use of potentially carcinogenic Sudan and Azo dyes to enhance the colour of palm oil as one of the emerging risks.

According to her, some adulterators also blend palm oil with recovered or recycled oils, including spent cooking oil, while others use combinations of adulterants designed to evade basic quality checks.

Oseni advised consumers to carry out simple visual checks as an initial precaution, noting that genuine palm oil could separate into layers, with the lower layer appearing orange to red-yellowish rather than uniformly deep red.

She, however, stressed that visual inspection alone could not confirm whether palm oil had been adulterated.

Speaking at the event, the General Manager of LASCOPA, Afolabi Solebo, said the agency remained committed to protecting consumers from unsafe and substandard products.

Solebo urged residents to report suspected cases of adulterated palm oil and unscrupulous traders through the agency’s official channels.

He said market surveillance had been intensified across the state and warned that suspects found culpable would be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with relevant laws.

LASCOPA also urged residents to remain vigilant and avoid purchasing palm oil from unverified sources.