The omega-3 products have been made possible by an exclusive supply deal announced last month with Ocean Nutrition Canada to use its MEG-3 branded omega-3 ingredients across the EU. They will be marketed under Oxford Nutrascience's new Chewies brand, appearing in mixed bags of blackcurrant, strawberry and orange flavours.
While Oxford Nutrascience is targeting health food shops and pharmacy chains such as Boots in the UK with the chews, it said it saw considerable potential for them in mainstream retail. "I can see no reason why they wouldn't become a mainstream confectionery product," said chief executive Nigel Theobold. "We are getting positive feedback from parents. There's no reason why you couldn't have one of our chews in every lunchbox in the land in future."
Theobold set up the company in early 2008, having had prior experience as head of Boots' brand development, vitamins and supplements and medicine divisions.
The chews are capable of delivering 50150mg of beneficial long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, so eating two per day could deliver the EU recommended daily amount of 250mg.
Theobold said conventional chews were made using a mixture of fats and reducing and non-reducing sugars. Adding omega-3 to this commonly causes components to break down and become oily. However, Oxford Nutrascience's soft chew technology uses 2.5g of soluble fibre per chew in a low-temperature process, so functional ingredients can be used without adverse taste, texture or stability.
The products contain up to 45% less fat and sugar than standard chews and will be made by Oxford Nutrascience's manufacturing partner Lamy Lutti, based near Lyons in France.
Products would command a premium, but Theobold likened it to that charged by brands such as Innocent in the smoothies sector, thus denying it would prove a barrier to sales.
Oxford Nutrascience also sees potential in incorporating ingredients such as ginseng or p into its chews.