Palm oil is a vital ingredient in Sub-Saharan African cuisine. Most families consume it daily or at least once every other day. It is used in many foods ranging from puddings, vegetables, plantains, coco yams, the famous yellow soup and the list goes on. We Africans love our palm oil. This translates to a high consumption per person per year.
This high consumption of palm oil in Africa is also mirrored by Africans living in other parts of the world like the USA, Europe and Great Britain.
Unfortunately for millions of African consumers, red palm oil is not as safe as it used to be. Manufacturers of some palm oil brands have been adding dangerous artificial chemicals to palm oil. Among these chemicals are red dyes known as Sudan dyes which are added to palm oil to make it look redder. The most common Sudan dyes used in food are Sudan I and Sudan IV. These illegal dyes are believed by scientists to cause cancer and are very toxic to genetic material in cells. Many of our family members may be having serious health problems due to the long-term consumption of dyed palm oil. It should be noted that Sudan dyes are not related to the country Sudan. Other names for Sudan IV dye for example are: Scarlet Red, Lipid Crimson, Oil Red, Solvent Red 24 among others.
In Africa, many governments are either incapable, or unwilling to implement effective consumer protection laws.
The newly formed African Consumer Protection Agency, AFCOPA, aims to fill this gap and look out for the interests of African consumers living all over the world.
Indeed, Africans living in Europa and America are also at risk of consuming Sudan IV in palm oil.
To get an idea how hard some manufacturers are trying to sell their tainted oil to consumers in Europe, we are presenting you with this list of alerts which were issued by the European Union in 2019, due to the presence of Sudan IV dye in palm oils. And remember that these are only the ones which have been caught. There may be more brands of palm oil containing sudan dyes still being sold in shops.
Within the list below are alerts which the European Commission issued after Sudan IV was found in palm oils at European borders, as well as alerts issued after Sudan IV was found in palm oils being sold in shops. The concentration of Sudan IV dye in the palm oils was also published.
There were at least 11 alerts raised in Europe in 2019 due to Sudan IV dye in palm oil!
Here is the List and timeline of alerts (For more information, click on the links below):
1. February 14th 2019: Palm oil from Nigeria
This import from Nigeria was controlled at the Belgian border. It contained Sudan IV at a concentration of 1698 µg/kg. Who knows how many Africans would have consumed this, had it made its way into Afro shops in Belgium, Germany, and Holland?
2. March 7th 2019: Palm oil from Ghana
This import from Ghana was controlled on the market in Spain. It contained Sudan IV at a concentration of >100 µg/kg. It was withdrawn from the market.
3. March 11th 2019: Palm oil from Ghana
During an official control on the market in the Netherlands, this palm oil was found to contain Sudan IV dye at a concentration of 60 µg/kg. It had already been distributed to other European countries.
4. April 1st 2019: Palm oil from Guinea
This palm oil from Guinea which was being sold in shops, was controlled in Switzerland and found to contain a very high concentration of the carcinogenic Sudan IV, at 12 mg/kg. It was immediately recalled from the Swiss market and other European countries were notified. This palm oil might still be on the market in Guinea. We have seen no evidence that the EU made any effort to warn Guinean consumers. They too deserve to be protected.
5. April 17th 2019: Palm oil from Ghana
This palm oil was imported to the Netherlands through the United Kíngdom. Luckily for consumers, the Dutch company tested the oil themselves and found it to contain Sudan IV at a concentration of 700 µg/kg. It was also being distributed to other EU countries.
6. May 14th 2019: Palm oil from Nigeria
This palm oil was found in Switzerland to contain very high amounts of Sudan IV at a concentration of 3.7 mg/kg. It was immediately recalled from consumers, and distribution to other EU countries was restricted.
7. May 23rd 2019: Palm oil from Ghana
This palm oil was rejected at the Dutch border after it was found to contain Sudan IV at a concentration of 92 µg/kg. Luckily for African consumers in Europe, it had not yet been packaged and distributed to afro shops in other European countries.
8. May 24th 2019: Palm oil from Ghana
Germany recalled this palm oil from consumers after it was found to contain Sudan IV. The exact concentration was not given. The palm oil was exported to Germany via Belgium, which first made the alert.
9. June 1st 2019: Palm oil from Ghana
This palm oil was seized and destroyed in the Netherlands after it was found to contain Sudan IV at a concentration of 154 µg/kg. It was imported via UK and had been distributed to other EU countries.
10. September 9th 2019: Palm oil from Senegal
This palm oil was rejected and destroyed at the Belgian border after it was found to contain Sudan IV at a concentration of >3000 µg/kg.
11. November 29th 2019: Palm oil from Guinea-Bissau
This palm oil was rejected and destroyed at the Portuguese border after it was found to contain Sudan IV at a concentration of 88 µg/kg.
The names of the palm oil brands caught using Sudan IV in 2019 shall be published at a later date.
How bad is Sudan IV for your health?
In clinical studies conducted on mice, Sudan dyes caused urinary bladder cancer, Lymphoma and leukemia, and were proven to be toxic to genes especially in the stomach and colon. These studies show without a doubt that sudan dyes are cancer-causing agents and should have absolutely no place in our food.
Some consumers argue that they have been using many brands of palm oil for many years and have not had any cancer or other serious illnesses. This is a common misconception. It is clear that not all palm oil brands are bad. Natural palm oil is a great ingredient. The point being made is that any palm oil which has been adulterated with illegal industrial dyes should be avoided at all cost. It should also be noted that, not every person who consumes palm oil contaminated with Sudan IV will get cancer, just like not very person who smokes cigarettes gets lung cancer. As with cigarettes, the risk of illness due to Sudan dyes increases with time and amount of consumption.
For the manufacturers who use this dye, it is a lucrative business because many consumers choose their palm oil depending on how red it looks in the bottle, and are also uninformed about the risks of Sudan IV.
So let´s make this clear right now: redder palm oil does not mean better palm oil.
Choose your palm oil wisely. Your health and that of your family may depend on it, more than you think.