Only oily fish can deliver omega-3 benefits says FSA

At the end of last week, the European Commission was finalising a proposal that would determine the form and levels of omega-3 needed for food and beverage products to make ‘high in’ or ‘source of’ claims.  

However, the proposal generated heated opposition, most notably from some of the world’s leading omega-3 scientists. They believe the regulation would mislead consumers as it does not distinguish between marine-sourced EPA and DHA and plant-based ALA, and only the fish-derived omega-3s have the scientific backing for their health benefits, foodnavigator.com reported.  

The UK’s Food Standard’s Agency (FSA) also stressed that that only the consumption of oily fish can deliver recommended levels of EPA/DHA.

“We want any claims agreed at EU level to be supportive of Government dietary advice, and not mislead consumers into believing they can achieve their recommended dietary intakes of DPA/EHA from foods other than oily fish.  

“Oily fish is the only significant dietary source of long chain omega-3 fatty acids and consumers are recommended to eat two portions of fish per week of which one should be oily. Plant derived short chain fatty acids (ALA) offer no significant cardiovascular benefit to consumers,” it told foodnavigator.com.