FEATURE: Eating Contaminated Yam Flour May Cause Death – Expert

The Chief Executive Officer of EpidAlert, Dr Lawal Bakare, has warned that consuming yam flour mixed with harmful colouring agents could lead to death.

His warning follows the arrest of one Mrs. Kehinde Raji by officials of the Lagos State Government for allegedly producing adulterated yam flour, popularly known as Elubo Isu, using spoiled yam and harmful colouring agents.

According to the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, the arrest was based on credible intelligence provided by the Chairman of the Elubo Sellers Association, who reported dangerous food adulteration practices.

“Our KAI enforcement team immediately conducted a raid, leading to the arrest of one Mrs. Kehinde Raji who was caught engaging in this criminal activity. We commend the market leadership for bringing this critical public health issue to our attention,” Wahab stated on X.

Preliminary reports suggest that several consumers have already experienced health complications after consuming the contaminated product.

The suspect will be prosecuted under relevant state laws, Wahab added.

“Preliminary reports confirm that several consumers have already suffered health complications from consuming this adulterated product.

“The suspect will be prosecuted in accordance with the relevant law” of Lagos State,” he said.

The suspect disclosed that she ventured into the business in 2024 after the death of her husband, which left her with three children to care for.

She explained that the profitability of the trade was what attracted her to it.

The Corps Marshal of the Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), popularly known as KAI, Olaniyi Cole (rtd), confirmed that Raji was arrested at the Mile 12 market.

“We must highlight the importance of selling processed food which meets Food Administration standards and guidelines,” Cole said in a statement.

Health Risks Of Harmful Colouring

Speaking to THE WHISTLER, Bakare explained that the health implications of consuming yam flour mixed with colouring agents largely depend on the specific chemicals used.

Some can cause immediate physical reactions, such as burns when mixed with water, while others may not produce symptoms immediately but can accumulate in the body over time, resulting in serious health problems.

Ingesting such harmful colouring agents, he noted, could lead to gastrointestinal issues ranging from mild abdominal discomfort to severe allergic reactions and even life-threatening anaphylactic shock. Long-term exposure to certain chemicals may also increase the risk of chronic illnesses, including cancer.

“When we inject a chemical agent, it could have a medium to long-term effect, that you won’t even know what happened that could have caused you to have a certain medical condition,” Bakare told THE WHISTLER.

“This (incident) speaks to food handling practices and how people are getting away with providing unsafe food options in the market directly or indirectly.”

He observed that many people develop diseases like cancer despite maintaining healthy lifestyles, which could be linked to ingesting harmful substances in food.

Need For Stronger Regulation

Bakare stated that the incident highlights the need for proper food handling practices and safe food options in markets.

Unfortunately, some vendors use unsafe methods to make their products look more appealing or to increase profits, often at the expense of consumer health.

Globally, there is a push to reduce or ban artificial food dyes to prevent chronic diseases and neurobehavioural issues.

To prevent such practices, Bakare called for stronger regulation, particularly in informal markets.

He stressed the need for local governments to know who is selling food products within their jurisdictions and to ensure proper registration and monitoring. This, he explained, is not to stop people from earning a living but to ensure safety standards are met.

“The government needs to strengthen regulation, particularly in the informal market. These large commodity markets need to be regulated in collaboration with market operators to make sure that in the upstream and downstream, there is control on where certain things can be sold,” Bakare said.

He also urged market operators to act as whistleblowers against unsafe practices, noting that unethical behaviour by a few traders can damage the reputation of entire product categories, leading to market rejection and financial losses.

Strengthened regulatory partnerships between government and market associations, he concluded, would help prevent such problems and build trust in the food supply chain.

FEATURE: Eating Contaminated Yam Flour May Cause Death – Expert is first published on The Whistler Newspaper