DARTMOUTH,
NS (Ocean Nutrition Canada) – Ocean
Nutrition Canada Limited (ONC) is pleased to announce Stonyfield Organic
Omega-3 Milk, made using ONC’s MEG-3® brand Omega-3 EPA/DHA ingredients,
is now available from Stonyfield, the world’s leading organic yogurt company.
Each
240 ml serving Stonyfield’s Organic Omega-3 Milk provides 50 mg of Omega-3
EPA/DHA – the nutrient that 69% of organic consumers indicated they wanted in
their food, according to a recent survey by the Organic Trade Association and
Kiwi Magazine. Gary Hirshberg, President and CEO of Stonyfield Farm, says that
responding to the demand for more Omega-3s was a natural fit. “Stonyfield Farm has been a long-time champion
of Omega-3 fortified foods, since before we launched our DHA omega-3 baby
yogurt in 2005,” says Hirshberg.
“Three years later we launched the Stonyfield Greener Cow Project, a study
which shows cows fed a diet higher in Omega-3s produced milk with naturally
higher levels of omega-3. We recognize the importance of getting the
recommended daily dose of Omega-3s for optimal health, and now it’s as easy and
delicious as drinking Stonyfield organic milk.”
As
advocates of the concept that healthy foods can only come from a healthy
planet, the decision for Stonyfield to use MEG-3® as
the omega-3 ingredient was an easy one.
Stonyfield selected Ocean Nutrition Canada Limited (ONC), the world’s leading
supplier of omega-3 ingredients, as its fish oil partner. The Nova Scotia-based
company sources Stonyfield’s fish oil supply from wild fish, sardines and
anchovies caught off Peru in South America. This region is where the cold
Antarctic waters meet the steep continental shelf and is one of the richest
marine environments in the world. The
fishery is highly regulated and protected by the Peruvian government to ensure
that it remains biodiverse and entirely sustainable. Impurities in the fish oil are removed
through multiple purification steps resulting in the highest quality oil that
meets or exceeds all global regulatory and safety standards.
“We’re thrilled to have our MEG-3®
ingredient added to Stonyfield’s organic milk,” says Jon Getzinger, ONC Chief
Sales and Marketing Officer. “The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends
two servings of fatty fish (Omega-3 EPA/DHA) per week; however many people are
still not consuming enough. Stonyfield
Farm is creatively encouraging consumers to increase their Omega-3 intake by
fortifying their organic milk – a delicious and easy way to get omega-3 fatty
acids in your diet.”
Stonyfield’s Organic Omega-3 Milk is available in Reduced
Fat 2% and Whole Milk varieties and is available for purchase at supermarkets
and natural food stores in the United States.
###
About
Stonyfield Farm
Stonyfield Farm, celebrating its 28th year, is the world's leading organic yogurt company. Its certified organic yogurt, smoothies, milk, cultured soy, frozen yogurt and ice cream are distributed nationally. The company advocates that healthy food can only come from a healthy planet. Its use of organic ingredients helps keep over 180,000 farm acres free of toxic, persistent pesticides and chemical fertilizers known to contaminate soil, drinking water and food. To help reduce climate change, Stonyfield offsets all of the C02 emissions generated from its facility energy use. The company also started a nonprofit called Climate Counts (climatecounts.org) which shows people how they can help fight climate change by the way they shop and invest. Stonyfield also donates 10% of its profits to efforts that help protect and restore the Earth. For more information about Stonyfield Farm, its products and initiatives, visit www.stonyfield.com or follow Stonyfield on Twitter @Stonyfield, and on Facebook.
About ONC:
Ocean Nutrition Canada (ONC) is a
privately held company, whose major shareholder is Clearwater Fine Foods
Incorporated. Clearwater Fine Foods Incorporated is a diversified holding/investment
company whose significant holdings include a controlling interest in Clearwater
Seafood’s Limited Partnership, the world’s largest integrated shellfish
harvester and processor.
ONC is the world’s largest supplier of Omega-3 EPA and DHA ingredients from fish oil, marketed into the dietary supplement and food manufacturing markets. To date MEG-3® ingredients have been included in over 100 billion servings of food and supplement products worldwide. For more information about ONC visit www.ocean-nutrition.com, and for information on the health benefits of MEG-3® ingredients please visit www.meg-3.com.
About Omega-3:
Omega-3
is a family of essential fatty acids, including EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid),
DHA(docosahexaenoic acid), and ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). Oily fish (such as
sardines, anchovies, mackerel, and salmon) are the major known natural sources
of Omega-3 EPA/DHA. ALA is found in plants, such as flax and chia. It is
important to note that the majority of
health benefits associated with Omega-3 have been attributed to EPA and DHA,
not plant-based ALA . While the
body can convert ALA into EPA/DHA, it does so very inefficiently (less than one
percent), leading many nutrition experts to recommend that consumers increase
their EPA and DHA levels by consuming EPA and DHA directly (rather than from plant-sourced ALA). Although Omega-3
EPA/DHA is important to overall good health, the human body is not able to produce
sufficient quantities on its own, so supplementation is required, either by
eating oily fish or foods fortified with Omega-3 EPA/DHA, or by taking fish oil
supplements.
