Deep-Dive EP2: Milk or Mimic: Nigeria’s dairy market, a hub for inferior EU products

The Nigerian dairy market is dominated by fat-filled milk powder (FFMP), which is produced by blending skimmed milk powder with vegetable fat after removing some or all of 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. Same in Nigeria where the regulator said FFMP products “are not categorised as milk in the same way as whole milk powder or skimmed milk powder.” An investigation by PREMIUM TIMES 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. [Credit: This podcast was produced using Gogle NotebookLM]