Tortillas are next for omega 3 fortification

This is the first Canadian food product to feature the consumer branded ingredient, MEG-3, prominently on packaging as a source of differentiation for consumers.

27/10/05 Ocean Nutrition Canada Limited (ONC), supplier of MEG-3 brand Omega-3 EPA/DHA food and dietary supplement ingredients, announced today the first Canadian tortillas launch with the MEG-3 food ingredient made from fish oil. Cali-Wraps with MEG-3 will be sold in major grocery stores across Canada and are now available at Sobeys. This is the first Canadian food product to feature the consumer branded ingredient, MEG-3, prominently on packaging as a source of differentiation for consumers.

Mark Hyland, president of Cali-Wraps stated, “Cali-Wraps with MEG-3 tortillas are known for their great taste. Our ‘Omega-3 From The Sea’ Tortillas with MEG-3 ingredients are available in four delicious flavors. The product is being launched across Canada and soon we hope to introduce it to the US market as well.” Hyland also said, “We felt it was very important to include the MEG-3 brand and fish logo on our package so consumers can easily see that our tortillas contain more value than other omega-3 products since Cali-Wraps with MEG-3 contain the important heart healthy omega-3’s EPA and DHA from fish oil. We think this is a tremendous source of consumer differentiation and a source of competitive advantage.”

MEG-3 is a consumer branded ingredient designed to help people know they are getting the most trusted source of omega-3 ingredients made from fish oil in food or supplement products. MEG-3 micro-encapsulation technology is proudly a Canadian research innovation, which puts the goodness of fish in foods people love without the taste or smell of fish. MEG-3 food ingredients patented micro-encapsulation technology is superior to any competitive product on the market as demonstrated by numerous recent successful introductions in bread and dairy products across the globe and a global market leadership position in this rapidly expanding category for food products containing fish oil ingredients.

The term omega-3 includes three forms of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids Alpha-linolenic Acid (ALA), Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA). ALA is a plant source that is converted in the human body to EPA and DHA, the physiologically essential and biologically active fatty acids important for heart health and normal growth and development.

Ian Lucas, executive vice president of global marketing at ONC said, “Consumers, in general, don’t yet realize that the physiologically essential forms of omega-3 are EPA and DHA from fish oil and that ALA is not considered a biologically active ingredient and that the human conversion efficiency is only about five percent, thus most of the nutritional value from ALA is caloric intake.”

Savvy food companies like Cali-Wraps recognize that fish oil offers consumers more value and differentiation in the market place because they offer the health benefits of EPA and DHA compared to products containing the ALA form of omega-3. In essence, the MEG-3 brand symbolizes to consumers they are getting EPA and DHA from fish oil so they are getting the valuable heart healthy forms of Omega-3.

Product innovations like Cali-Wraps with MEG-3 are important for the health of Canadian consumers because there is a major dietary deficiency in the heart healthy omega-3 nutrients EPA and DHA.

Dr. Colin Barrow, vice president of research and development at ONC, said, “Experts, including the American Heart Association, agree that people should consume between 500 and 1000 mg per day of EPA and DHA, and current North American consumption is less than 130 mg per day.” Dr. Barrow continued, “The ability to put fish oil in foods people love is a breakthrough technology since it means consumers are now able to increase their consumption of these essential nutrients.”