By Elizabeth Adegbesan
Driven by economic hardship and the soaring costs of cold-storage preservation, fresh fish sellers are now deliberately masking decaying seafood with red industrial chemical dyes to artificially make them look fresh again.
This unwholesome trick, common among fresh fish sellers, Economy & Lifestyle gathered, is basically to mark up profit in an economy that makes small business owners struggle to stay affloat.
However, the health hazzards of this unhealthy business strategy are said to be very alarming.
According to Mrs. Yemisi Dauda, a caterer, “These chemicals were being meticulously brushed into the dull, grayish gills of day-old or decaying fish to give them the vibrant, crimson appearance of a morning catch”.
In nature, a fish’s gills turn from bright red to a dark brown or pale gray shortly after death as oxygen leaves the blood.
Because generations of consumers have been taught that red gills equal fresh fish, fraudulent vendors have exploited this metric for financial gain.
“What we are witnessing is not just economic fraud; it is a calculated threat to human life,” said Dr. Hassan Abudullahi, a health practitioner.
“These sellers are prioritizing profit over safety. The industrial-grade dyes being introduced into the food chain contain heavy metals and toxic compounds.
“Consuming fish tainted with these chemicals can lead to acute gastrointestinal destruction, severe food poisoning, and potentially permanent kidney and liver damage.”
Several people who spoke to Exonomic&Lifestyle fingered to worsening economic pressures as the primary catalyst for this dangerous shortcut.
With skyrocketing electricity tariffs making ice production and refrigeration prohibitively expensive for small-scale traders, many vendors cannot afford to preserve their unsold inventory overnight.
Rather than absorbing the financial loss of discarding spoiled stock, rogue traders resort to the chemical cover-up to clear their shelves at premium prices.
Mrs. Josephine Audu, a caterer said: “ Last weekend, I bought some red snapper that looked beautiful at the stall, but when I got home and submerged it in water, the gills completely lost their color and the water turned bright red. The fish smelled terrible underneath. We truly have to be detectives just to feed our families safely now.”
Mrs. Sherifatu Kazeem, a civil servant said: “This is absolutely horrifying. “For years, the number one rule my mother taught me when buying fish was to look for bright red gills.
“Knowing that criminals are now weaponizing that exact rule to poison us for profit makes me want to stop eating fresh fish altogether.” Chef Mabel Ajede, said: “As a restaurateur, this keeps me up at night.
“I always tell my kitchen staff to smell the fish and check the firmness of the scales, not just look at the gills. If you wash a fish and the water runs pink or red, throw it out immediately! It is a scam and a health hazard.”
Mrs. Fatimetu Dirisu, a trader, said: “While this behavior is completely inexcusable and criminal, it highlights a massive infrastructural failure.
“When electricity and ice become too expensive for everyday market women to preserve their goods, desperation sets in. We need solar-powered cold stations in our markets to help honest traders preserve food safely without turning to crime.”
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