The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has seized three petrol tankers loaded with soy oil in Lagos State, raising alarms over potential public health risks.
According to credible information received by NAFDAC, the same vehicles used to load vegetable oil were also being used to transport petroleum products.
On getting to the location for surveillance operation, the organization discovered the tankers had conflicting labels indicating the transport of water and beverages at the same time marked as carrying petrol and diesel which has now drawn significant attention to the possible dangers of chemical contamination in food products.
This discrepancy triggered an investigation into the matter leading to the seizure of the tankers. NAFDAC officials escorted the tankers to a processing facility in Sango-Ota, where the crude soy oil was handed over to the Southwest Zonal Office for further regulatory action.
The agency fears that residual petroleum products could mix with the edible soy oil, posing severe health risks to consumers. Petroleum products, known to be carcinogenic, are not safe for human consumption, and their presence in food products could have dire consequences.
A spokesperson for NAFDAC explained the severity of the issue: “A truck cannot be labelled as transporting vegetable oil while simultaneously carrying tags for petrol and diesel. This is at the expense of public health. The investigation is ongoing, and although there are claims that the trucks were initially intended for beverages, such practices cannot be allowed to continue.”
The agency disclosed that it has since initiated a comprehensive investigation to determine the extent of the contamination and to prevent such incidents from recurring.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, has established a committee tasked with developing guidelines and a code of ethics for the marketing and distribution of edible vegetable oils in Nigeria.
NAFDAC has also urged the public to report any suspicious or unwholesome practices related to food and regulated products
