The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised the alarm over the circulation of fake Vegetable oil and potentially dangerous Goya oil packaged in PET bottles, warning Nigerians to avoid the product.
The warning was issued on Friday during a media briefing at the agency’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate office in Lagos.
Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Dr Martins Iluyomade, said the Goya oil being sold in plastic (PET) bottles is not licensed by NAFDAC and should be considered counterfeit.
“Goya oil sold in plastic bottles is fake. The only approved Goya oil is the product imported in original bottles by authorised dealers,” Iluyomade told journalists.
He disclosed that NAFDAC uncovered a large-scale operation producing counterfeit Goya oil at the Oke-Arin market in Idumota, Lagos.
According to him, the fake product was manufactured by mixing burnt palm oil with colouring agents and repackaging it as Goya oil for unsuspecting consumers.
“We discovered a facility where fake Goya oil was being produced. Items recovered include palm oil, colouring agents, stoves and empty bottles used for repackaging,” he said.
Iluyomade warned that many Nigerians were unknowingly consuming or using the adulterated product, which poses serious health risks.
He urged religious organisations to be vigilant and avoid the sale or use of PET-bottled Goya oil during religious gatherings, stressing that violators would be prosecuted.
The director also appealed to the public to report suspected cases of counterfeiting or adulteration to the nearest NAFDAC office for prompt action.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Goya oil is widely used as anointing oil in churches for prayers, healing, and spiritual protection. It is also marketed as a premium culinary oil for cooking, frying, salad dressing, and as a natural skin moisturiser.
Iluyomade further revealed that a suspect, Moses Nelson, was arrested in connection with the distribution of adulterated and counterfeit alcoholic beverages.
He said empty exotic alcohol bottles, sachets and PET-bottled alcoholic drinks were recovered from the suspect’s residence in Badagry, Lagos State.
Iluyomade warned counterfeiters to desist from activities that endanger public health, assuring that NAFDAC would relentlessly pursue offenders seeking to make quick profits at the expense of Nigerians’ safety.
