Suppliers of fortified food and drink ingredients have dismissed as "almost unusable" a health claim agreed earlier this year for products containing omega-3.
Long-chain fatty acids, which can only be obtained from oily fish and algae, have been associated with better heart health, improved brain function and protection against bone loss and some cancers. But their take-up by food manufacturers in Europe has been much lower than in Asia and north America partly because of restrictions on their use in some countries.
Philip Calder, professor of nutritional immunology at the University of Southampton, told a conference on long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids so-called LC n-3 PUFAs that he did not support the view of the Joint Health Claims Initiative (JHCI) that the ratio of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) to docosapentaenoic acid (DHA) in products should reflect that which occurs naturally in oily fish.
"I don't support [the JHCI's position] unless we have more information about the importance of that ratio," said Calder. "If they contain long chain fatty acids that is enough." He pointed to the wide variation in EPA:DHA between different fish species.
The JHCI, a quango set up to give advice to the food industry on making health claims for products, recommends the following statement: "Eating 3g weekly, or 0.45g daily, long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, as part of a healthy lifestyle, helps maintain heart health" But it makes clear that the claim only relates to long-chain PUFAs, thus excluding shorter-chain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) found in vegetable sources of omega-3, and must be present in a certain EPA:DHA ratio.
The JHCI daily recommended LC n-3 PUFA intake is lower than that suggested by the European Food Safety Authority. Calder suggested that 1g/day would be better: "I don't think 0.45g/day is sufficient to induce health benefits," he said.
Nick Shimmin, an analytical biochemist with US company Martek Biosciences, which supplies algal DHA for fortification to the food industry, said: "I don't think the JHCI has done any good unless you happen to be a fish producer or a fish." And Jerry Luff, business development and regional manager for Nu-Mega Ingredients, added: "There are so many shortcomings in the wording, it is almost unusable for companies."
Melanie Ruffell, executive secretary of JHCI, admitted the claim left a lot to be desired and called for a more user-friendly alternative which retained the essence of the claim. But she insisted that claims should only refer to long chain PUFAs. "Change the wording, but don't dilute the message," she said.