The Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) has warned residents against buying suspected adulterated palm oil, following concerns over increasingly sophisticated methods being used to manipulate the popular cooking oil.

The warning followed a technical presentation at the 2026 Lagos State Food Safety Conference and Exhibition by Dr Nurah Oseni, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Food Technology at Auchi Polytechnic. In her paper, “Palm Oil Adulteration: Emerging Risks, Detection Strategies and Regulatory Control,” Oseni identified the use of potentially carcinogenic Sudan and Azo dyes among emerging methods of adulterating palm oil.

She also raised concerns about the practice of mixing palm oil with recovered or recycled oils, including spent cooking oil, as well as the use of multiple adulterants designed to evade basic quality checks. According to her, palm oil is particularly vulnerable because of its high volume of trade, consumers’ preference for deep-red colour, price differences and informal market practices.

Oseni advised consumers to carry out visual checks as an initial precaution, noting that genuine palm oil may naturally separate into layers, with the lower portion appearing orange to red-yellowish rather than uniformly deep red. She, however, stressed that visual inspection alone cannot confirm whether palm oil has been adulterated, making laboratory testing important for reliable detection.

The General Manager of LASCOPA, Afolabi Solebo, urged Lagos residents to remain vigilant and report suspected 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 persons found selling adulterated products would be arrested and prosecuted under relevant laws.