Omega-3s & nutritional oils

Update on ‘illegal’ Belgian tax row following flood of court cases

BASF joins multinationals challenging Commission's 'illegal' tax ruling

08-Aug-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

German chemical giant BASF has joined the seven companies and the Belgian government taking legal action against the European Commission for its ruling that a generous Belgian tax scheme was illegal.

Capsugel, BASF, Omega Pharma among firms to benefit from contested tax scheme

Capsugel takes Commission to EU court over ‘illegal’ tax scheme demands

05-Aug-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Capsule manufacturer Capsugel and at least six other companies have taken the European Commission to EU court over the ruling that a Belgian ‘excess profit’ tax scheme was illegal.

Swapping lard for fish oil benefits brain as well as body

04-Aug-2016 By Will Chu

In a study that compares the effect different fats have on the brain, unsaturated types such as fish oil were found have beneficial effects on brain inflammation and function.

Get some nuts! Study links intake with lower CVD risk

03-Aug-2016 By Will Chu

A greater intake of nuts, especially in place of animal proteins, could reduce inflammation - a key process in the development of cardiovascular disorders, a study has found.

Fish oil may reduce muscle soreness after exercising: Study

03-Aug-2016 By Stephen Daniells

High dose omega-3 supplements may reduce delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS) after resistance training in untrained women, says a new study from Baylor University.

When is it best to introduce complementary feeding for infants? Commission asks EFSA

02-Aug-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The European Commission has asked the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to update its scientific opinion on the appropriate age for introduction of complementary feeding for infants.

Neonatal nutrition gap could explain weighty issue of disease inheritance

29-Jul-2016 By Will Chu

The nutritional quality of a mother’s diet during pregnancy has a huge say in determining offspring attributes, such as weight and even susceptibility to chronic conditions, a UK study has speculated.

UK criminalises infant formula marketing offences

26-Jul-2016 By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn

The UK government has introduced legislation that would make a company’s failure to fall in line with EU infant formula and baby food marketing laws a criminal offence subject to fines.

10TH WORLD CONGRESS ON POLYPHENOL APPLICATIONS

Polyphenol round up: Best of the rest

26-Jul-2016 By Will Chu from Porto

NutraIngredients presents a final summary of notable research presented at the 10th World Congress on Polyphenol Applications in Porto this year.

Zeaxanthin shows skin health benefits from within: Study

25-Jul-2016 By Stephen Daniells

Dietary supplements of the carotenoid zeaxanthin with sea buckthorn fruit oil and wheat ceramides may reduce wrinkles in women, says a new study.

Omega-3s may enhance exercise benefits for people with MetS

18-Jul-2016 By Stephen Daniells

A daily dose of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and oleate – a monounsatured fatty acid (MUFA) – may enhance the beneficial effects of exercise for people with metabolic syndrome.

Special Edition: Anti-Aging

Seeing is believing: Managing consumer expectations for beauty from within products

15-Jul-2016 By Stephen Daniells

When consumers use beauty-from-within products they expect to see the effects in the mirror, and sometimes quickly, but this is actually more of an opportunity than a challenge, say experts.

Pregnancy multivitamins: A waste of expectant mothers’ money?

12-Jul-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

So-called multivitamin and mineral pregnancy supplements are “an unnecessary expense” for most expectant mothers, according to a review of current UK guidance for pregnancy supplementation. Yet industry has called the statements dangerously misleading.

Dow a step closer to commercializing canola oil with meaningful levels of DHA omega-3

12-Jul-2016 By Elaine Watson

Dow AgroSciences is a step closer to commercializing oil from canola plants bred to produce meaningful amounts of the coveted long-chain omega-3 fatty acids DHA (3.7%) and EPA (0.7%), which are currently only found in fish, fungi or microalgae, according...

AFC Ajax look to fine-tune personalised nutrition as club prepare for new season

12-Jul-2016 By Will Chu from Amsterdam

Fine-tuning professional athletes using genetic testing and microbiome analysis may well be the next step in personalised sports nutrition, according to a nutrition expert.

Fish oil intake in pregnancy doesn't reduce childhood obesity risk

08-Jul-2016 By Will Chu

Omega-3 supplementation during pregnancy offers no protection for the offspring against obesity during the child’s first year of life, a study has hypothesised.

Could Omega-6 rich oils lessen trans fat health issues?

06-Jul-2016 By Natalie MORRISON

The type of unsaturated fat used alongside trans-fats in food could play a role in modifying negative effects, a new study suggests.

Marine & plant-based omega-3s may lower risk of heart attack deaths

30-Jun-2016 By Natalie Morrison

Eating both seafood and plant-based omega-3s could mean a lower risk of dying from heart attack, a meta-analysis has found. Previously, evidence surrounding plant-based omega-3 benefits for the heart has been limited.

Iran: Healthy eating good for mental health; B vits, omega-3s highlighted

28-Jun-2016 By Lynda Searby

Mirroring western research, the first major Middle Eastern study investigating the link between diet and mental health finds that healthy eating is associated with a lower risk of anxiety and depression.

Walnut properties cracked as nut linked to healthy ageing

27-Jun-2016 By Will Chu

The nutritional properties of walnuts are again under the spotlight as a review points to the nut’s omega-3 content as a factor in reducing the risk of developing physical impairments in old age.

New GOED report summarizes global market for EPA and DHA finished products

27-Jun-2016 By Adi Menayang

The Global Organization of EPA and DHA Omega-3 (GOED) noted that the finished products market size for 2015 was $31.4 billion.

Industry reaction: What #Brexit means for UK & EU nutrition sectors

24-Jun-2016 By Shane STARLING

For the first time the European Union has lost a member after the British people yesterday voted to leave the bloc which began life as the European Economic Community in 1951.

Omega-3 may reduce heart patients’ hospital stay, study finds

24-Jun-2016 By Will Chu

Cardiac surgery patients given omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) beforehand found their hospital stay reduced by up to 2.4 days, an analysis has suggested.

298 studies reviewed

Omega-3 intake map shows vast deficiencies & health risks

22-Jun-2016 By Natalie Morrison

A new world map of omega-3 levels shows consumption is too low to prevent cardiovascular and cognitive health issues, in many places.

Omega-3s shows potential for PTSD: Study

21-Jun-2016 By Stephen Daniells

People suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may benefits from daily omega-3 supplements, says a new study from Japan.

Safflower-infused muffins a potential aid for weight loss: Study

20-Jun-2016 By Will Chu

Eating muffins made with safflower oil may help individuals lose more weight and receive greater improvements in cardiovascular health, a study has determined.

Dementia fear is creating an industry of products we don’t need: Which? report

17-Jun-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Supplement and app companies are preying on the public’s fears about dementia and making claims they cannot back up, according to a scathing report from UK consumer watchdog Which?.

ASA ruling

Health claim fail: ASA gives UK smoothie firm rough ride

16-Jun-2016 By Lynda Searby

For the second time in 13 months Juice Garden has been pulled up by the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for making unauthorised health claims.

Why Holland & Barrett has seen 27.5% online sales growth in a year

15-Jun-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Online sales for Holland & Barrett grew by 27.5% last year, which the company’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) says is thanks to its omni-channel strategy during exponential global expansion.

DHA may beat EPA for anti-inflammatory action, but ‘don’t tilt your odds to favor one omega-3 over another’, says expert

14-Jun-2016 By Stephen Daniells

The anti-inflammatory potential of omega-3 fatty acids may lie more with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) than eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), says a new study from Laval University in Quebec.

It’s official: Manufacturers can make sugar replacement claims

13-Jun-2016 By Lynda Searby

From 20th June, manufacturers will be able to claim a “lower blood glucose rise” when using non-digestible carbohydrates as sugar replacers, following the publication of a new article 13.5 claim in the EU Official Journal.

Leicester City signs sports supplements deal

10-Jun-2016 By Shane STARLING

Welsh firm Pro Athlete Supplementation (PAS) has signed a deal that makes it the exclusive sports supplements supplier to reigning English Premier League (EPL) champions Leicester City Football Club.

EFSA updating bioavailability of nutrients; seeks 'explicit definitions'

09-Jun-2016 By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will provide its first ‘explicit definition’ of nutrient bioavailability as part of an overhaul of guidance from its predecessor the Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) dating back to 2001.

Aker reaches profitability, extends leadership in krill harvesting

07-Jun-2016 By Hank Schultz

Krill oil supplier Aker BioMarine has passed an important milestone—after more than a decade in the development cycle of the ingredient the company has achieved profitability.

Second krill player moves in on EU high dose opportunity

07-Jun-2016 By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn from Ålesund, Norway

Rimfrost AS is the latest krill player to capitalise on a recent EU approval of high doses of the omega-3 ingredient, a move it hopes will inject life into an otherwise ‘stagnant’ market.

‘Fish oil is not an animal by-product’: Nordic firms challenge food-feed divide

06-Jun-2016 By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn from Ålesund, Norway

Norwegian omega-3 firms are facing big challenges following a national alignment with EU requirements to separate food and feed fish oil production.

Preloaded: Medical macro-nutrients show diabetic benefits

06-Jun-2016 By Lynda Searby

The first clinical study testing medical nutrition therapy as a treatment for gestational diabetes has yielded positive results for Swedish biotech firm Indevex, demonstrating that its patented ‘Preload’ macro-nutrient blend is effective in controlling...

Dispatches from Vitafoods Europe 2016

How to make supplement packaging sexier

01-Jun-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Supplement players need to make their packaging sexier if they are to bat off competition from encroaching healthy food and drink products, says marketing expert.

Special edition: Omega-3s

Omega-3 hits €28bn in 2015 – growth predicted

26-May-2016 By Shane Starling

The global omega-3 finished product market was worth €28 billion in 2015 and is set for pan-sector growth in the coming years to add €5bn by 2018, despite sustainability and scientific challenges.

French omega-3 firm gets Friend of the Sea seal of approval

26-May-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Marseille-based firm Seafoodexport has received Friend of the Sea (FoS) certification for its omega-3, fish oil and fish meal from European anchovy and sardine.

special edition: omega-3s

GOED on doubling EFSA’s omega-3 recommendation

26-May-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

In April this year the Global Organisation for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED) published its first recommendation for EPA and DHA, as an attempt to wade in and bring unity to divergent nutrition advice.

Special Edition: Omega-3s

Omega-3: Latest research developments

26-May-2016 By Will Chu

Omega-3s have long been touted as beneficial for a range of areas such as brain, heart and eye health and dry eyes. What's new for these friendly fats?

Special edition: Omega-3s

Carrot vs. stick: What’s the key to securing a sustainable omega-3 supply?

26-May-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

With around 20-25% of global wild caught fish used for fish meal and fish oil production, environmental certification schemes like Friend of the Sea (FoS) and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) have been putting increasing pressure on the omega-3 sector...

Flaxseed supplementation may aid metabolic syndrome management, study finds

26-May-2016 By Adi Menayang

Researchers in Iran found that 30-g brown milled flaxseed daily helped study participants lower their blood markers of metabolic syndrome more than lifestyle changes did alone.

Krill players battle counterfeit material

25-May-2016 By Shane Starling

New kid on the krill block OmegaVeritas has launched a verification method after tests showed mislabelled material on-market.

DISPATCHES FROM VITAFOODS Europe 2016

Large-scale plant cultivation could answer call for omega-3 sustainable source

24-May-2016 By Will Chu

The pursuit of alternative omega-3 fatty acid sources that are closer biologically to omega-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) found in fish oils remains a key industry challenge.

Infant formula marketing: The Lancet calls for total social media ban

23-May-2016 By Shane STARLING

Respected British medical journal The Lancet says global infant formula marketing regulations need tightening – including a complete ban on social media channels.

European Obesity Day 2016

Meal replacements have key role to play in obesity battle – and need support from EU policy makers

20-May-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Ahead of this year’s European Obesity Day, the trade groups Specialised Nutrition Europe (SNE) and European Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) Industry Group have called for greater support for regulated 'total meal replacements' to stop overweight...

DISPATCHES FROM VITAFOODS EUROPE 2016

Does the recent approval for high-dose krill leave EU door ajar?

19-May-2016 By Will Chu

The European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) authorisation of the use of a lipid extract derived from krill oil at a higher dose is set to "drive a big change for Europe" and open up health claim avenues, says one Norwegian company.