Nelly Bassily | January 5, 2009
Nigerian authorities are advising people to look for the image of an eye when purchasing vegetable oil. The eye logo is placed on vegetable oil that is fortified with vitamin A – a nutrient essential to eye health.
Bola Yusuf is Chief Regulatory Officer for Nigeria’s food control agency. He says that some brands of vegetable oil, such as Turkey, King’s, and Leisure, are not Vitamin-A fortified. The agency issued this warning over the holiday season, when sales of vegetable oil rose.
People need Vitamin A for good vision and more. A diet low is Vitamin A puts children at higher risk of measles and diarrhoea.
Yusef says consumers should look for Vitamin-A fortification when purchasing flour, sugar, and vegetable oil. He also advises consumers not to purchase un-iodized salt.