Eating healthy in Nigeria today goes beyond choosing the right meals – it also means being careful not to consume fake and adulterated products flooding the market.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has recently raised alarm over the circulation of fake foods, drinks and drugs across the country. Here are 5 common ones and how you can identify them:

1. Fake Rice and Vegetable Oil

Some rice is polished with chemicals to look whiter, while some vegetable oil is mixed with cheaper, harmful oils.

How to spot: Original rice has a natural, not overly shiny colour and has some chaff. If your oil foams excessively when frying or has a strange smell, avoid it. Always buy sealed, branded packs from trusted stores.

2. Fake Soft Drinks and Alcoholic Drinks

Counterfeit bottled drinks are everywhere, especially in Lagos. They are often refilled with coloured sugar water and harmful chemicals.

How to spot: Check the cover fake corks are often not well sealed, labels are poorly printed and the taste is flat. The NAFDAC registration number is usually missing or blurred.

3. Fake Tomato Paste and Seasoning Cubes

Some tomato pastes are made from starch, colour and preservatives, while seasoning cubes are re-wrapped with fake wrappers.

How to spot: Original tomato paste is thick and settles well. If it is too watery and overly red, suspect it. Seasoning cubes should be well-foiled, not sticky or crumbling easily.

4. Fake Milk and Milo / Bournvita

Powdered drinks are highly faked. The fake ones are mostly chalk and sugar.

How to spot: Original dissolves smoothly and has a rich aroma. Fake ones form lumps, taste overly sugary and have no real chocolate or milk smell. Check for batch numbers and expiry dates.

5. Fake Palm Oil

Palm oil is sometimes adulterated with dye called Sudan IV to make it look redder.

How to spot: Original palm oil smells like palm fruit and is not excessively red. If it stains your hand intensely and leaves a chemical taste, it is adulterated.

How to Stay Safe and Eat Healthy:

– Buy from trusted supermarkets, not roadside hawkers for sealed products.

– Always check NAFDAC number, manufacturing and expiry dates.

– If the price is too cheap to be true, it is probably fake.

– Eat more natural foods – beans, unpolished local rice, fresh vegetables, fruits, eggs and fish are safer than heavily processed foods.