KEY INTERVIEW: Transforming a Nation’s Attitudes About Fish Oil

21 Jul 2014 --- Years ago it was commonplace in many countries for children to endure a daily dose of cod liver oil, but the move into capsules meant that the strong health messages for this ‘medicine’ became lost. FoodIngredientsFirst talks to Bo Martinsen, MD, joint managing director of Omega3 Innovations, to find out how the company took on the challenge of transforming a nation’s negative associations with fish oil.

Twelve years ago, two physicians relocated from Norway to the United States and were surprised to discover that US consumers had bad associations with fish oil. Bo Martinsen and Anne-Marie Chalmers, MD, decided therefore that in order to encourage people to increase their omega-3 intake they would first have to cure their fear about the oil.

“You need a combination of three things if you want to get the benefits of omega-3,” explains Martinsen. “Firstly, fish oil has to be fresh or it will contain toxic by-products, which is why people don’t eat old fish. Rancid fish oil has toxic by-products and you lose the beneficial effects of omega-3 molecules. Freshness is therefore crucial. Like fresh fish, fresh oil has no fishy taste or smell.

“It’s amazing that millions of people expect oil to taste really bad - really it’s because the whole industry is run by business people who are covering up poor quality. Freshness is crucial.”

Secondly, he explains that keeping cod liver oil and other fish oils in their natural state is also very important in order for the ingredients to work in synergy together to produce the best health benefits.

The final thing to consider is that dosage requirements are often ignored and have become confused. “A normal-sized portion of salmon has around 10 to 15 capsules of fish oil,” he states. “People think one a day is going to change their health. Years ago the English were very clever when dishing out dessert spoonful’s of cod liver oil, which equates to about seven to 10 capsules of fish oil. Unfortunately, putting it into capsules changed opinions about dosage and now people think one or two is strong medicine.”

How can we change negative opinions about fish oil?
The pair’s idea was to make omega-3 so appealing that people would want to take it, not just for the health benefits, but also for the great taste. And this led to the creation of their company, Omega3 Innovations, with a host of products such as Omega Cookies and the Omega Passion chocolate truffle.

“The focus on freshness was the key because when it is fresh it really has no fishy taste,” says Martinsen. “We then incorporated this into cookies and chocolate. It wasn’t easy to do – in fact it took five years – but now we are able to deliver the equivalent of one dessert spoonful into an oatmeal cookie with no effect on its flavor.”

The cookies are gluten-free and with no added sugar. They are fresh, and therefore need to be stored in the freezer, but they last two weeks at room temperature when defrosted, he explains. He also points out that because of the omega-3 the cookies, for example, have a cholesterol-lowering and anti-inflammatory effect. They are filling as well, which reduces a person’s drive for snacking.

“One cookie is probably on the heavy side for children in terms of dosage, so for kids we have a smaller version covered in chocolate called Omega Heaven,” he notes. This concept is perfect for coffee shop businesses as well, he notes.

The company also has Omega Passion, which, says Martinsen, is perfect for pregnant women who need the fish oil and can now get the right dosage in the form of an indulgent treat.

Plans for the future
Omega3 Innovations is now actively looking for partners to start producing products, such as its cookies, in different countries.

The company is also looking seriously at the area of chronic inflammation.

“We have developed single servings of omega-3 in a glass vial/bottle, which will give a dose equivalent to one tablespoon and with a slight taste of peppermint,” he says. “People’s omega-3 needs will be completely covered and dramatic clinical changes will be noticed in just six weeks. For sufferers of chronic pain it will mean they can reduce their existing medication – we think lots of people will be drawn to this.”

The serving can be taken straight or added to juice. “We kept it simple because we wanted to focus on the clinical effect,” he says. “We think this idea is so exciting - doctors will be able to simply instruct patients to take one per day. We hope it will become more fashionable to take cod liver oil in the morning like it was years ago, especially in countries such as the UK. This version is very fresh and has no bad taste.”

“We want to change the health of the population and change perceptions about fish oil,” he explains. “The original cod liver oil variants were full of vitamin A and D, but no-one knew how to manufacture it so that it tasted good, or how to deal with marketing. The move into capsules allowed producers to use rancid oil as the capsule format covered up the bad taste – there are no health benefits from old, rancid oil.

“Thankfully we are now able to manufacture fish oils with no taste or smell, and all the health benefits of omega-3.”

By Sonya Hook