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