Denomega gains Friend of the Sea certification

Denomega’s omega-3 cod liver oil processing plant in Leknes, Norway, has been certified by sustainable fishing watchdog, Friend of the Sea.

The backing means Denomega’s cod liver products are sourced from traceable, sustainable fish and fisheries and it joins about 30 omega-3 suppliers more than countries including Morocco, China and Australia have used FOE assessment to “verify the sustainable origin of their products”.

As well as product-specific certifications, FOS has approved 30 fisheries and deemed eight non-sustainable.

It has backed Antarctic krill, the Atlantic menhaden and the Peruvian anchovy which covers the bulk of the marine-sourced omega-3 supply.

FOS-certified companies include Rimfrost, Neptune, Boehringer Ingelheim, Amundsen Omega3, BASF-Cognis, GlaxoSmithKline, Healthspan, Naturmega, Nordic Naturals, Omega Proteins, Swanson Health Products and Vifor Pharma.

FOS sustainable criteria includes:

  • target stock to be not overexploited
  • fishery to generate maximum 8% discards
  • no by-catch of endangered species
  • no impact on the seabed
  • compliance with regulations (TAC, IUU, FOC, minimum size, etc)
  • social accountability
  • gradual reduction of carbon footprint