As part of our ongoing efforts to showcase sustainability in the omega-3 industry, GOED commissioned sustainable food consultancy Tasting the Future to produce a report.
This report highlights more than 20 issues and trends that are likely to impact the EPA and DHA omega-3 category over the next decade, and provides examples of current efforts by the industry to improve sustainability. is showing.
The report notes increasing pressure from stakeholders across the industry to address declining fish stocks, reduce the effects of climate change, and address issues such as ocean pollution and plastic pollution. It has been pointed out that there is pressure on the government to implement legal reforms to address the issue.
Additionally, organizations such as Greenpeace and certification bodies such as Friends of the Sea (FoS) are increasing pressure on the sector to improve sustainable fisheries management.
Additionally, consumers are becoming more concerned about health, sustainability and animal welfare, retailers are demanding higher levels of traceability and transparency, and investors are shifting their focus.
The report notes that the financial impact of resource degradation is beginning to materialize for omega-3 oil companies in the form of supply constraints.
Price volatility.
“Tight supply and demand for omega-3 products, driven by resource constraints and climate impacts, are likely to lead to continued price/cost shocks,” the report said.
It argues that inaction is not an option as the market and reputational risks are huge. Additionally, there are broader societal risks, such as ecosystem collapse, climate change, and resource scarcity, which will have a “devastating impact on our ability to provide sufficient food and water in the future, and ultimately It will hurt people’s quality of life.”
sustainable development goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a universal call to action on sustainability. The SDG framework commits all 193 United Nations Member States to achieving 17 goals and 169 targets across three dimensions of economic, social and environmental development.
The Horizon Scan report states that the omega-3 oil industry should address all 17 SDGs, with eight particularly relevant SDGs perhaps most deserving of attention: the well-being of all people; Promote decent work, ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns, combat climate change, protect and sustainably use oceans, oceans and marine resources.
pressing problems
The report outlines a wide range of issues, one of which is that the number of overfished stocks around the world has tripled in half a century. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations states that one-third of the world’s assessed fisheries are currently beyond biological limits. Approximately 46% of small pelagic fish stocks, one of the world’s most important sources of fish oil, are currently overfished.
Overfishing is closely related to bycatch. Bycatch is the capture of unwanted marine life while fishing for another species. “This is also a serious marine threat causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of sea turtles and cetaceans,” the report states.
“Decreasing fish stocks and growing populations around the world mean there is an increasing potential for a supply gap in omega-3 fatty acids, leading to research and research in search of new sources. We are driving innovation.”
Meanwhile, potential seafood catches in tropical regions are projected to decline by up to 40% by 2050 as a result of global warming. In contrast, high-latitude regions such as the North Atlantic and North Pacific have experienced increased fishing. In a range of several fish species.
Rising ocean temperatures are also reducing the amount of EPA in plankton, which may affect the nutritional quality of the food we consume from the ocean. The first-ever survey of planktonic lipids in the world’s oceans, led by scientists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), found a temperature-related decline in EPA production levels.
And consumer demand is also a huge pressure. There’s a lot of buzz surrounding omega-3s on social media, with #Omega3 being used over 2.1 million times and #Omega3 being used nearly 72,000 times on Instagram. ” TikTok videos with #Omega3 in the caption have earned him over 220 million views as of August 30, 2022
industry solutions
Recognizing the importance of these issues, companies are working to build a sustainable omega-3 supply.
Aker Biomarine has set up an internal accounting system that is externally audited. The company has set goals focused on carbon monitoring to determine which areas of its value chain produce the greatest greenhouse gas emissions.
DSM has built its Omegas for Life portfolio around 100% vegan omega-3 oils derived from sustainably grown algae.
Protect marine ecosystems and appeal to environmentally conscious consumers. Due to sustainability and resource constraints, DSM aims to transition from fish-based oils to oils sourced exclusively from algae products.
Vegan omega-3 brand Calgee is launching new plant-based plastic pouches for its supplements, switching away from virgin fossil fuel-based plastic bottles. They claim that plastic pouches are carbon negative, meaning they remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than they emit. The first run of the pouch resulted in a negative carbon footprint of 31 kg after accounting for production and logistics emissions.
Orbea’s fish oil refinery is housed in a building designed to minimize its environmental impact, with 1,300 square meters of solar panels installed on the roof. The rest of the factory’s energy supply will be purchased from green sources of gas and electricity. Green plants are equipped with a large number of heat exchangers to recover and exchange thermal energy at different stages of the process. Orbea has also installed three rainwater storage tanks with a storage capacity of 1 million liters and collects up to 12 million liters annually.
CSIRO scientists used genetic technology to transfer the ability to produce long-chain omega-3 oils from understory plants (marine microalgae consumed by fish) to the world’s second canola plant, Nuseed. We have developed Nutriterra, a base total omega-3. largest oilseed crop. This includes the introduction of a set of eight transgenes that extend the canola short-chain omega-3 synthesis pathway to marine EPA and DHA fatty acids. There is great interest and a scientific field in synthesizing omega-3 fish oil in transgenic plants.
Plant scientists at Rothamsted Research Institute in Harpenden, UK, have confirmed an application for regulatory approval for industrial use of camelina plants genetically modified so that the seed oil contains the same levels of EPA and DHA as fish oil. After partnering with Massachusetts-based Yield10 Bioscience in late 2020, this experimental project is turning into a truly scalable commercial opportunity, thanks to Yield10’s application for approval for commercial cultivation of the plant by U.S. farmers.
Meanwhile, Stratrum Nutrition, a non-GMO plant-based source of omega-3s, claims that its ahiflower oil is a complete, balanced, sustainable and renewable source of omega-3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. I am. Ahiflower oil naturally contains an unmatched high content of SDA, a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid that is easily converted to EPA and DHA in the body.