In China, omega-3 deficiencies are worryingly high with many people consuming as little as 7.5 per cent of the ISSFAL recommended daily intake, and the elderly and the very young particularly at risk.
Wilmar, meanwhile, has developed functional products like Arawana cooking oil that incorporate omega-3 DHA and EPA into everyday foods and drinks making it easier for consumers to boost their daily intakes.
The Vitafoods judges praised Wilmar for its considerable education programme that positively promotes the benefits of omega-3 in the diet, with a special focus on the old and young, to change the way people eat.
Arawana was launched in 2009 and is used to spearhead Wilmar’s ongoing healthy cooking programme, which is rapidly gaining momentum in China.
The judges also applauded the company for its extensive research into product efficacy, performance and stability even during cooking, as well as taste acceptability among its core audience.
Wilmar’s Qiang Zhou said: “Chinese intake of DHA and EPA is seriously deficient and there are very few ways for Chinese people to consume DHA and EPA, so we have a responsibility to develop products that will improve consumer health in both the short and long-term.”