Nigerian medical doctor and health advocate Chinonso Egemba, popularly known as Aproko Doctor, has called on the government and relevant regulatory agencies to strengthen oversight of the food market following concerns over the alleged adulteration of palm oil with artificial dye.
The call follows a viral video showing a vendor mixing dye with palm oil in an attempt to make the product appear redder and more attractive to consumers.
Reacting to the video, Aproko Doctor described the practice as dangerous and warned that some industrial dyes may contain substances that are carcinogenic, meaning they can increase the risk of cancer.
“This is wickedness. What do you mean you’re putting dye inside palm oil just so that it will look red?” Aproko Doctor said, questioning the practice of adding artificial colouring to a product intended for human consumption.
He argued that the issue goes beyond individual traders, saying weak regulation of informal markets allows potentially unsafe products to reach consumers.
According to him, “the market is faster than the government,” making it difficult for regulatory authorities to monitor every vendor and prevent adulterated food products from entering the market.
He further warned that consumers could find themselves trapped in a cycle where they are exposed to health risks from unscrupulous vendors.
“If it’s not a vendor that is trying to kill you, it will be a good seller, and the cycle continues,” he said.
Aproko Doctor also linked food safety concerns to Nigeria’s broader public-health challenges, arguing that exposure to harmful substances in food could contribute to poor health outcomes and lower life expectancy.
Doctor Demonstrates Palm Oil Test
In the video, Aproko Doctor demonstrated what he presented as a simple way for consumers to check their palm oil at home. He poured water into a sample of palm oil and explained that genuine oil should separate from the water without visibly releasing colour into it.
The demonstration has since triggered a wave of similar experiments online, with Nigerians posting videos of themselves testing palm oil purchased from different markets.
However, experts and fact-checkers have cautioned that the water experiment should not be considered a definitive laboratory test for detecting artificial dyes. Some dyes that are soluble in oil may not necessarily release visible colour into water, meaning a palm oil sample could pass the home test and still require proper laboratory analysis.
The controversy has renewed calls for stronger enforcement by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and other relevant authorities.
As concerns continue to spread across social media, the debate has also highlighted the need for greater consumer awareness, stricter monitoring of food products and stronger action against vendors who deliberately adulterate food for profit.
For consumers, health experts continue to advise caution and encourage the purchase of food products from trusted sources while relying on proper regulatory and laboratory testing rather than social-media home experiments alone.