06/07/09 Ocean Nutrition Canada (ONC), a leading researcher, manufacturer, and marketer of Omega-3 based ingredients has selected Silliker Group Corporation as a laboratory partner for the analysis of omega fatty acids in North America and Europe.

Recognized as one of the health and wellness industry’s fastest growing companies, ONC is a global leading supplier of Omega-3 EPA and DHA ingredients from fish oil – essential nutrients that have been scientifically linked to supporting heart health, brain health, and general wellness. To date MEG-3 ingredients have been included in 30 billion supplement servings and 11 billion food servings worldwide. Partnering with Silliker, the leading international network of ISO 17025 accredited laboratories, is in keeping with ONC’s commitment to sustaining high-level and rigorous quality systems.

 “Having an accurate and reliable laboratory assist our customers in confirming the appropriate level and stability of our MEG-3 product is very important to us. We’re very pleased to have partnered with the world class organization Silliker to provide those services,” states Jon Getzinger, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Ocean Nutrition Canada Limited.

Under the testing agreement, Silliker Canada Co (Markham, ON) and Dr. A Verwey (Rotterdam, Netherlands) will serve as ONC service providers in North America and Europe, respectively. Both laboratories are widely recognized for their expertise in fat and oil analysis. The winner of multiple American Oil Chemist Society Proficiency Program Awards, the Markham operation implemented and internally validated a specific testing method for ONC. To verify the method’s accuracy, the laboratory subsequently passed an audit and a series of external proficiency trials.

“Working with food companies to create healthy and nutritious products is a vital and growing part of our business,” states Pamela Coleman, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Silliker. “Helping to verify the initial nutrient level as well as the stability over time is a core part of our services. Historically, Silliker has focused on microbial product stability studies, but we have broadened our capabilities to focus more intently on nutrient and functional ingredient analysis.”

As part of this service expansion, Silliker recently acquired 100% of Biofortis, a leading French contract research organization specializing in providing nutrition clinical studies for health ingredients.

With over 40 years of experience and part of the Mérieux Alliance group of companies, Silliker provides consulting, testing, auditing, research and training services that help ensure food safety and nutrition worldwide. Silliker is recognized for its expertise in providing recommendations that help identify operational problems, anticipate areas of concern, and institute practical controls associated with food safety and quality risks.