There’s no shortage of food products ready to take on Omega-3.  That’s how Larry Helm sees it.

Larry’s the CEO at OmegaNutrel, a Cambridge, Ontario Canada-based supplement manufacturer.  But these Omega-3 supplements don’t wind up in containers in health food stores.  They are mixed with feed for animals and help produce all sorts of Omega-3 enriched products, from ice cream to cheese.

“This has global ramifications for the dairy and beef industry.” Says Helm.  The firm’s supplement has been patented and has approval from Canada’s Federal Food Inspection Agency.   The supplement which enriches the animal being fed does not cause any genetic modifications.

OmegaNutrel’s work started four years ago when supplements were added to the feed of a handful of herds of dairy cattle in Southern Ontario.

There is now an Omega-3 enriched ice cream on the market, Naturelle Plus, along with Silani Cheese.
The company’s goal is to expand distribution through a growing network on feed providers.

The growing number of health benefits associated with Omega-3 means good times for the business side of things.

In Europe right now, Omega-3 supplements are selling at the rate of roughly a million U.S. dollars a day.

At the business research firm Frost & Sullivan, Dr. S. Chandrasekhar is forecasting an annual growth rate in European sales of Omega-3 of more than 20% for the next six years.

What does this mean for consumers? The laws of supply and demand are coming into play. At the same time more and more of us discovering the benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids, raw material supplies for supplement manufacturers are growing tight.

Retail prices for Omega-3 supplements in Europe are already increasing by 15% a year.

More than 80% of the ingredients used by Omega-3 supplement manufacturers are marine oils. But what we are starting to see is more food manufacturers using Omega-3 fatty acids in their products, a trend which strains the supplies for the supplement manufacturers.

Dr. Chandrasekhar sees this trend gaining such steam that in 2014, we will see as much Omega-3 used as a supplement in food products as is used in oils and capsules.

Source: Frost & Sullivan

Omega-3 fatty acids are turning up in a growing number of food products as manufacturers learn of the public’s growing interest in easting more heart healthy fatty acids.

It is a marketing-driven move and the nutritional benefits are, for now, questionable.

Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, Barilla Pasta and Sorrento Cheese Sticks each call out Omega-3s on their label. So do Tropicana Orange Juice and Silk Soy Milk.

The challenge: understanding that foods fortified with Omega-3s may not be as beneficial as the foods which naturally contain high levels of Omega-3s, such as Salmon and Tuna.