‘Slow murder,’ Health experts, Nigerians condemn viral dye-adulterated palm oil video

A viral video depicting a person combining a significant amount of palm oil with dye has ignited considerable outrage, prompting urgent demands for intervention and regulatory measures from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.

The video, which first emerged online in late November, featured a man incorporating a concentrated dye into palm oil to improve its color.

Medical professionals and concerned consumers are cautioning that this method, intended to replicate the deep red shade of premium palm oil, presents serious health hazards, including cancer.

Medical Experts Denounce "Slow Murder"

Prominent health influencer and medical doctor Chinonso Egemba, widely recognized as Aproko Doctor, commented on the video on Monday, denouncing the act as "wickedness" and associating the unregulated practice with Nigeria's public health issues and low life expectancy rates.

“This is wickedness. What do you mean you’re putting dye inside palm oil just so that it will look red? And then you’re selling it to people, knowing that what people are actually drinking or putting in their food is not actual palm oil but something mixed with dye.

“There are certain dyes that are actually carcinogenic, which can actually lead to cancer in some people. So, when you hear things like our life expectancy in Nigeria is 50-something years old, these are part of the reasons,” he said.

He criticised what he described as the lack of regulation in the informal market, arguing that enforcement agencies are often underfunded and unable to effectively track down unregistered vendors.

Aproko Doctor said, “This particular person is probably not registered. There’s no way you’re probably going to find this person. Yet, their products are entering the market in a way that is unregulated.

“People are suffering from the effects of this because the local officers who are supposed to be hunting down this type of person are probably underfunded. They don’t have any funds to do what they’re doing.

So, most times, they’ve gone to find another work rather than actually ensuring our health as Nigerians.”

The sentiment was echoed by Dr Yonni Johnson, who tweeted as #CoddasO, saying, “Adding dye to palm oil is not ‘business,’ it is slow murder. Many of these dyes are carcinogenic, damaging the liver, kidneys, blood and increasing long-term cancer risk.”

He stressed that genuine palm oil should be naturally red from carotenoids, not artificial chemicals.

Calls for Consumer Vigilance and NAFDAC Action

Aproko Doctor proposed a home test that entails mixing palm oil with water. He illustrated that pure oil will separate distinctly, whereas oil that has been adulterated with dye is likely to impart color into the water.

"We should not be doing mathematics to cook food," he expressed with concern.

Nevertheless, some users pointed out that this test may not be entirely reliable.

#jiboladev commented on X, "The types of dyes commonly used are typically lipophilic azo dyes (lipophilic meaning they dissolve well in oil, but not in water). I believe this DIY test could be useful, but it should not be regarded as definitive proof of the absence of dyes in the oil!"

Several Nigerians who responded to the video highlighted that the consumer preference for vividly red oil often compels vendors to engage in adulteration.

"Most Nigerians are to blame for this," remarked Queen Glad on Facebook. "When they visit the market, they seek oil that is bright red. If the red is not vibrant enough, they claim it is not authentic oil, which leads some vendors to manipulate the oil to make a sale."

Emphasizing the necessity for both government enforcement and a change in consumer behavior, #MandelaBTC stated on X, "We criticize the government daily, yet we forget that those in power were once ordinary Nigerians like us. Genuine change starts when we cease to view deceiving others as 'smart' and begin to recognize it for what it truly is, cruelty."

Citizens are urging NAFDAC to initiate prompt investigations and identify the individual featured in the video.

"This is the responsibility of the government: to conduct inspections and employ mystery shoppers to identify individuals like him. As a citizen, one must exercise caution. Once it enters the market, how can you verify if what you are purchasing is safe or not?" #leofreddie07 expressed on X.

"#NafdacAgency, please assist in investigating and holding accountable this malevolent act. Nigerian lives are compromised for quick profit," tweeted as #Vin_Rouge_King, Kingsley Bassey added.

On Facebook, Nnenna Nnabuife echoed, “National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control. Please regulate the informal food market.”

Calls were also made for broader action, including probing the processing of other food items like tomato paste, vegetable oil, and stockfish, which consumers allege might also be subject to similar adulteration.

“That same chemical is also allegedly used to make tomato paste. Please let them tell us the ingredients in that tomato paste that gives it that reddish colour,” Hycenth Ifeanyi Udodili said on Facebook.

“We have to seriously start a lot of enforcement in Nigeria,” Olowe Bowale wrote on X. “The government can create more jobs through enforcement. The other time I saw a video where someone was sprinkling insecticide on stock fish.”

"Even groundnut oil as well. I purchased oil from the market with the intention of frying plantains. As soon as I poured it into my frying pan and added the plantains, the oil foamed up and spilled everywhere," #AUNTYMUSE_ remarked on X.

In December 2024, it was reported that the increasing demand for palm oil, known for its appealing orange-red color, has led some dishonest traders to mix their products with Sudan IV, a synthetic dye commonly used in industrial sectors for coloring waxes, plastics, and oils.

It was highlighted that these dyes are prohibited in food products due to their detrimental health effects. Nevertheless, Sudan IV has infiltrated food processing due to its capacity to enhance the color of palm oil, making it more attractive to consumers.

In a separate report, a hazardous practice was revealed, where certain manufacturers, in an effort to satisfy high demand, combine cassava with harmful substances such as detergent, potash, and soda soap before selling the tainted pastes, commonly referred to as fufu, to unsuspecting retailers.