Top 12 omega-3 products making news today
November 12, 2014
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Marketed in the UK, this product came under fire recently for claims made in broadcast advertising. The food is designed to be added onto breakfast cereal, boosting a meal’s fiber, calcium, protein, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and omega-3s. The UK’s Advertising Standards Agency upheld four complaints of implied health claims for Bioglan’s use of the word “superfood,” as well as comparisons made about the seeds’ protein, calcium and fiber content with other foods that the agency deemed to be uncomparable. The product is marketed by PharmaCare.
Sold in 30ml spray bottles, skin Essence Organics - Rosehip Seed Oil contains one of nature’s richest sources of omega-3, -6 and -9. Rosehip seed oil also naturally contains vitamin A, C & E, which help delay the effects of skin aging, assists with cell regeneration, and stimulates collagen and elastin levels in the skin. This results in firmer, smoother, and more youthful skin tissue, with improved elasticity. Rosehip seed oil is considered a “dry” oil, meaning that it soaks into the skin easily, and does not leave a greasy residue. It hydrates and penetrates dry or damaged skin immediately. Skin Essence Organics Inc. is based in Ontario, Canada.
A high-EPA supplement for children from Anlit Ltd. of Israel, this chewie was launched in May 2014 at VitaFoods. The product is noteworthy for being a fish oil supplements designed specifically for children — a category challenger to Nordic Naturals’ Children’s DHA (with 82mg EPA and 125mg DHA). By comparison, Kidi Bites offer 270mg EPA and 65 mg DHA presented in a chocolate-like matrix. The product is free of preservatives, artificial coloring and trans fats, and each serving is housed in individually sealed blister packs.
This product won notice by ConsumerLab in July 2014 for being the lowest cost children’s omega-3 supplement, which also offers high EPA (475mg) and DHA (112mg). Distributed by OmegaBrite, the fish oil is a molecularly distilled triglyceride form. The cost for 100mg of EPA/DHA is $0.06; 120 servings retail for $40.
Winning NewHope360’s vote for simply cool advertising and labelling is Nordic Light Krill & Fish Oil from Arctic Light Products AS in Norway. While some products are hiding the fact they contain fish oil, seemingly in a bid to demand higher prices, this novel product openly touts the best of both worlds: highly concentrated omega-3s, 70% from fish oil and 30% from krill oil. The beautiful product concept is inspired by the northern lights, also known as Aurora Borealis; one of the few places they can be seen is in northern Norway during the winter. The product is sold in Norway, South Africa and Dubai. A small consumer base is growing in China and the United States. Sales have grown a bit each year, but it has only been in the past year that the product has sold outside Norway, says founder Arild Karlsen, who worked as a fisherman, boat captain and trawler captain for many years.
In recent lab testing by ConsumerLab, this product distributed by i-Health was noted for being the lowest price but with a high concentration EPA (130mg) and DHA (320mg) product from a vegetarian algal source. The cost for 100mg of EPA/DHA is only $0.07; by comparison, Bioglan Kids Smart Hi DHA Omega-3 Fish Oil is $0.36 for the same quantity. 60 tablets retail for $18. Ovega-3 is non-GMO and suitable for vegans. It contains Martek’s life’sDHA plus EPA.
Krill oil supplier Neptune added Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) among other ingredients to support heart health and healthy circulation. Combined with its flagship NKO brand krill oil, Neptune’s study showed CoQ10 had 25 times better absorption rate when compared to a generic CoQ10. Company also offers NKO Flex for bone and joint health, as well as NKO Focus, to support brain and vision health.
Showing how omega-3s continue to break down formulation barriers, From Farm To Table Canada offers a nutritionally fortified snack with Omega-3 Kettle Corn. Each 21g serving provides 32mg of EPA/DHA, sourced by Ocean Nutrition Canada’s MEG-3 fish oil brand. The kettle corn was the first on the market to be fortified with omega-3s, and is free of GMOs, gluten, pesticides, trans fat, and artificial flavors or colors. The packaging is made from corrugated boxes made from recycled materials, which are also certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council logo.
A large softgel provides 180mg EPA and 120mg for four-legged friends. It was the lowest cost for pet products tested recently by ConsumerLab. Sourced from Norwegian fish, the capsules promise to be “pharmaceutical grade” fish oil, although as LabDoor noted, the FDA has not established a category called “pharmaceutical grade” – so this is an example of murky label claims. As a capsule, it would require the “pilling” of a pet cat or dog – not always the easiest thing to do.
Like what you read? Learn more about the omega-3 sector in the new Nutrition Business Journal / Engredea report, "Omega-3s: How will industry respond to the crisis in sales and consumer confidence?"
Fresh off a store shelf near you is a supplement sourced from Alaskan Pollock, released in September 2014. Made by American Marine Ingredients, the product is branded as 54⁰North Omega-3 with Vitamin D. One capsule provides 720mg EPA and 280mg DHA. Sustainability and traceability are the two top selling points for the supplement. About 1.3 billion tons of Pollock will be harvested this year from the Bering Sea, an amount that has been stable for decades. The fishery was the first large-scale fisher to be certified by the Marine Stewardship Council. The manufacturer added vitamin D because of consumers’ widespread deficiency in the nutrient.
Virun of California has been working for seven years to build up a finished product base for its super-concentrated omega-3 oils. They have smoothies on the market with 1500mg DHA per bottle, not to mention countless other big-name brands – but nearly all of them are bound up in frustrating “can’t disclose” agreements. The one product they can announce is Canna Energy drinks, which deliver 50mg of infused hemp seed oil rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The drinks add in traditional energizing ingredients such as B vitamins and taurine to lower the glycemic index, providing a sustainable energy boost. The drinks come in Original, Mango and Lite Blueberry Pomegranate flavors, with 40 calories per serving. They have no artificial sweeteners, flavors or preservatives, are gluten-free and use only cane sugar as a sweetener.
SmartGrain products from Everspring Farms uses the natural germination process to ingrain or absorb DHA from an algal oil into the cellular matrix of the flax seed. This is also known as “ingraining.” The process is non-GMO and the ingredient is sold in both retail packs and as a bulk ingredient. SmartGrain was selected as the most Innovative Product by a Small Company by the Huron Manufacturing Association in Exeter, Ontario, in 2011.
Firing a shot directly over the bow of the krill sector, Nordic Naturals just came out with a triglyceride-form 520mg omega-3 (about equal parts EPA and DHA) along with a healthy 384mg of phosphatidylcholine. All these numbers are significantly higher than those found in krill.
Firing a shot directly over the bow of the krill sector, Nordic Naturals just came out with a triglyceride-form 520mg omega-3 (about equal parts EPA and DHA) along with a healthy 384mg of phosphatidylcholine. All these numbers are significantly higher than those found in krill.
Through August 31, new food product launches making a “high in omega-3” claim were up 2.3% in the United States.
With global sales of more than $20 billion, omega-3s continue to be a star category in the nutrition industry. As far as finished products go, dietary supplements still dominate sales.
But new technologies are opening the door to product innovation. That can translate to anything from powdered formats or more concentrated liquids to the use of nontraditional sources of omega-3s.
From Jan. 1, 2014, through August 31, 2014, new food product launches in the United States making a “high in omega-3” claim were up 2.3%, according to Datamonitor Consumer’s Product Launch Analytics database. In 2013, the rise in new product launches was 1.9%.
Like what you read? Learn more about the omega-3 sector in the new Nutrition Business Journal / Engredea report, "Omega-3s: How will industry respond to the crisis in sales and consumer confidence?"
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