01.31.11
The Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3 (GOED), Salt Lake City, UT, has finalized its position on the development of a Codex Standard for Marine Oils. This position was forwarded to the U.S. Delegate to the Codex Committee on Fats and Oils (CCFO) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) for consideration. The position paper will also be forwarded to other Codex delegates and industry groups focused on the issue.
GOED supports the principle of establishing a uniform global standard for quality and definition of various types of marine oils containing EPA and DHA omega 3s. GOED believes that while this standard should include EPA and DHA concentrates derived from fish oils, the standard should exclude oils derived from plant, vegetable and algal sources since the marine environment is not involved at any stage in the production of these oils.
GOED also said a viable standard should be established in a manner that will promote international trade and protect human health. Current approaches to identify oils based on fatty acid profiles are not thought to be commercially feasible. GOED’s support for a marine oil standard is conditional upon the ability to adopt a standard that is flexible enough to allow for rapid innovation and natural variations in product composition due to environmental factors. Without such consideration, restriction, rather than promotion, of free trade may be the end result.
GOED supports the principle of establishing a uniform global standard for quality and definition of various types of marine oils containing EPA and DHA omega 3s. GOED believes that while this standard should include EPA and DHA concentrates derived from fish oils, the standard should exclude oils derived from plant, vegetable and algal sources since the marine environment is not involved at any stage in the production of these oils.
GOED also said a viable standard should be established in a manner that will promote international trade and protect human health. Current approaches to identify oils based on fatty acid profiles are not thought to be commercially feasible. GOED’s support for a marine oil standard is conditional upon the ability to adopt a standard that is flexible enough to allow for rapid innovation and natural variations in product composition due to environmental factors. Without such consideration, restriction, rather than promotion, of free trade may be the end result.