Unbranded cooking oils sold in reused plastic bottles and roadside drums are endangering the health of Nigerian families, experts warn.
Unbranded cooking oils sold in reused plastic bottles and roadside drums are endangering the health of Nigerian families, experts warn. Juliet Olorunfemi, a mother of five in Lagos, unknowingly used such oil until her husband developed heart disease. “I thought oil na oil,” she said. Medical experts link these oils to high cholesterol, heart attacks, and strokes.
Dr. Kingsley Akinroye of the Nigeria Heart Foundation called it “a nutritional time bomb,” warning, “People must understand that not all oil is good oil.” Only 31.4% of oils sold in Nigeria are fortified with Vitamin A, and just 1.3% meet safety standards. Kunle Ishola of TPAC said, “We’re essentially eating poison disguised as nutrition.” He stressed that unbranded oils lack traceability and are often contaminated.
Experts are urging enforcement of food fortification laws, better labeling, and public education. “Fortification is not a luxury, it’s a lifeline,” Ishola concluded.