Official data showed that Ireland exported fat-filled milk powder valued at N686 billion to Nigeria between 2020 and 2023. T he Nigerian dairy market is dominated by fat-filled milk powder (FFMP), which is produced by blending skimmed milk powder with vegetable fat after removing the original milk fat. In supermarkets, the products are neatly arranged on shelves.
They are also sold in large, open market spaces throughout the country. In the city suburbs, they are sold in makeshift grocery shops by the roadside and hawked by street vendors at dawn as condiments for tea, making them a staple for many homes. What is unknown to the vast section of Nigerian consumers is that in Europe, where most of these products are manufactured, they are not classified as milk.
A collaborative investigation by PREMIUM TIMES and Noteworthy , an Irish news outlet, showed that for years, West Africa has been a commercial hub for cheap milk substitutes from the EU. We found continuous export of FFMP from Ireland into the region, with Nigeria as one of its largest markets. This investigation has also shown that the fat-filled powder is advertised and sold as milk to unsuspecting Nigerians who cannot decipher real milk from what is simply an imitation of it.
PREMIUM TIMES also found widespread misinformation about FFMP among traders of dairy products in major markets across the country, particularly in Abuja, Enugu, Kano and Lagos states where we surveyed. One such Nigerian is Chisom Odirichukwu, 35,.