Canadian Milk with MEG-3 fish oil ingredient

The move comes shortly after Woodstock Water Buffalo Yogurt became the first yogurt to use the ingredient in the US.

19/10/05 Ocean Nutrition Canada Limited (ONC), a supplier of MEG-3 brand Omega-3 EPA/DHA food and dietary supplement ingredients, has announced the launch of Farmers Choice Partly Skimmed Milk, the first Canadian milk launch with MEG-3 ingredient. “We are a local company and are proud to offer our Farmers Choice Partly Skimmed Milk with Ocean Nutrition Canada’s MEG-3 ingredient,” said Andrea Hickey, Marketing and Communications Manager with Farmers Dairy. Mrs. Hickey continued, “We believe our customers will love the taste of the milk, the added heart health benefits of MEG-3 and the fact that this is a 100 percent locally made product.”

The move comes shortly after Woodstock Water Buffalo Yogurt became the first yogurt to use the ingredient in the US. The product, claimed to boast a superior taste, creamy texture and impressive nutrition profile, is made from farm fresh water buffalo milk, natural Vermont ingredients, and high levels of live probiotic cultures. Woodstock

Water Buffalo Yogurt contains 100 mg of Omega-3 EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) and DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) per 170 g serving.

Omega-3 enriched product introductions, such as Woodstock Water Buffalo Yogurt, are important, as the majority of people do not consume enough Omega-3 EPA and DHA in their diets to achieve the optimum health benefits from these essential nutrients.

ONC reported that companies have been working to solve the problem of how to put fish oils in food products without affecting the taste or smell for 15 years. The development of MEG-3 food ingredient has been a technology breakthrough because it is a unique form of micro-encapsulation with superior ability to protect the fish oil from oxidation. 

Already in 2005, three US bakeries successfully introduced bread products containing MEG-3 ingredients. In January 2005, New York based Wegmans Food Markets Inc. introduced three breads containing MEG-3 ingredients. In February 2005, The Baker, based in New Jersey, launched healthy whole grain bread containing MEG-3 ingredients and in April, Arnold Foods Company launched Arnold Smart & Healthy 100% whole wheat bread containing the same Omega-3 fish oil ingredient.

Danone Canada Inc. recently introduced Cardivia brand yogurt with MEG- to the Canadian market. Ian Lucas, Executive Vice President Global Marketing with ONC stated, “These yogurt launches are very significant because they demonstrate the breadth of applications in which our MEG-3 food ingredient works.”

Earlier this year UK based Dairy Crest launched St. Ivel advance, fresh milk enriched with the most effective types of Omega 3, EPA and DHA. The product is claimed to provide consumers with all the taste and goodness of fresh milk plus all the benefits of Omega 3, a vital nutrient that can only be obtained from the diet. One glass of fresh whole milk (250ml) provides 50% of the RDA for omega 3, while one glass of semi-skimmed milk provides 28%.