Qualitas Health has finalized an exclusive distribution agreement with Xsto Solutions for its Almega PL omega-3 ingredient for sale to the dietary supplement industry in the U.S. The agreement intensifies Qualitas’ U.S. sales efforts by partnering with Xsto Solutions and its experienced sales team. The deal coincides with recent construction and expansion of Qualitas’ West Texas algae farming operation. Qualitas will maintain direct sales to a number of key accounts.

“We are excited to partner with Xsto Solutions,” said David Hart, vice president of marketing at Qualitas Health. “There is a good fit between Xsto’s experience in omega-3s and focus on value-added branded ingredients. Their talented and respected sales team will expand our reach in the U.S., which is the largest omega-3 market in the world.”

Almega PL, manufactured by Qualitas Health, is a vegetarian, EPA-rich, polar lipid-structured omega-3 oil. Sourced from Nannochloropsis oculata, a researched strain of microalgae selected for its high level of EPA omega-3 and unique polar-lipid structure, Almega PL contains omega-3 fatty acids with phospholipids and glycolipids that provide good absorption and digestibility. Farmed microalgae are a source of omega-3s that do not deplete the fragile marine ecosystem. Almega PL is sustainably produced, using natural sunlight, non-arable land and low-energy processes.

“Almega PL is one of the most exciting ingredients we’ve seen in the omega-3 category,” said Francis Foley, president of Xsto Solutions. “The combination of an EPA-rich, vegetarian and environmentally sustainable omega-3 source with polar lipids for improved bioavailability is new and highly innovative. We are excited about the potential of Almega PL to better satisfy the exploding demand for a vegetarian omega-3.”

Qualitas also recently received a New Dietary Ingredient Notification (NDIN) for Almega PL, which permits the ingredient for sale in dietary supplements.