The National Agency For Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Enugu, has warned of adulteration of palm oil in the state.
The Unit Head of NAFDAC in Enugu, Mr. Udoekpo Ekpo, told newsmen in the Enugu State capital that palm oil in some markets in the state was mixed with chemical substances such as Anagodye and Sudan II to enhance the reddish colour.
Ekpo said the chemical substance could cause cancer and other ailments in the body. The NAFDAC official therefore urged dealers to desist from such ventures, which could result in the death of consumers.
On how the fake palm oil could be identified, Ekpo said, the “unfortunate thing is that it will be difficult to identify this product by mere looking, for us to identify the adulterated one, we took samples to the laboratories. People should have human feeling. You don’t jeopardise the life of your fellow human beings to make money”.
Ekpo accused palm oil dealers in the cities of using the dangerous substance to increase the quality of the product in order to make more money.
According to him, NAFDAC has introduced regular checks on companies that produce consumables, especially iodised salt and vegetable in Enugu. “We went to the villages to campaign against use of iodised salt to avoid diseases like goiter and use of vegetable fortified with Vitamin A. We are serious with it and we check on the companies unannounced to nip them in the bud”, he said.