The preliminary agenda for the 2026 GOED Exchange is now live. The conference takes place March 17-19 in Singapore and registration opens next month. Be sure to mark your calendars for this important event for the global omega-3 industry. Also, check out our sponsors, who help to make this event a unique and memorable experience. If you are interested in sponsoring, please contact Ellen Schutt.
How Tariffs Are Shaping
Consumer Attitudes
The chart above was developed by NielsenIQ, based in Singapore, for the keynote presentation at the Growth Asia Summit in June 2025, showcasing consumer attitudes in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Australia about tariffs as of March 2025. The insights show that current sentiments may lead to consumer switching to more local brands and buying more on discount. For more insights from NielsenIQ, please contact Craig Houliston, Regional Executive Director.
Please note that GOED does not analyze or make any representation of accuracy for the Omega-3 News items. This is simply a compilation of news articles found on the internet that are relevant to the EPA and DHA business.
Highlights
Operation Stork Speed Expert Panel Manuscripts Released
Regarding Operation Stork Speed, GOED has learned that three manuscripts from the 4 June 2025 meeting of the infant formula expert panel have been posted to Preprints.org. Here is a link to the first, second and third manuscript. Keep in mind that these are preprints and have not been peer-reviewed, so the manuscripts are subject to change.
Codex Working Group on Microbial Oil Standard Posts Third Consultation
The Electronic Working Group (EWG) for the Codex Draft Standard for Microbial Omega-3 Oils, chaired by the United States and co-chaired by China, has posted the third consultation on the development of a Standard for Microbial Omega-3 Oils. Stakeholders should have received these documents via email on Monday, 11 August and GOED is seeking feedback (as tracked changes in the clean document) by Tuesday, 2 September. This will be the last consultation before the 29th Session of the Codex Committee on Fats and Oils (CCFO), which begins 9 February 2026. Please send any comments to Harry Rice and Gerard Bannenberg. In the event you did not receive the documents, please let us know.
The relevant documents for review are here. Note that the revised draft standard only includes oils from Crypthecodinium, Schizochytrium and Ulkenia. At this time, the Chair considers the existing data for oils from Nannochloropsis to be insufficient and is proposing to NOT include them in the draft standard, unless the EWG can provide further information on their composition, quality and proof of sufficient trade volumes. If you have further data to provide on oils from Nannochloropsis, please do so immediately. As always, all data submitted to the EWG is anonymous.
It's important to note that should oils from Nannochloropsis not be included in the draft standard, it can still be added after the standard's adoption. However, while the addition of an oil to an existing standard is possible, it can be a lengthy process (i.e. at least two sessions of CCFO, which only meets every two years). For example, in 2024, calanus oil was added to the Standard for Fish Oils, which was adopted in 2017.
With respect to oils from Ulkenia, we would like to know if any members are currently selling or know of the sale of this oil. While there are global approvals and monographs for oil from Ulkenia, given that we didn’t receive information from members about this oil, it’s not clear if it is still on the market. If this oil isn’t being sold, then we should recommend to the Chair that it be removed from the draft standard. Any information on historic trade volumes is of interest to us as well.
EU Approves Schizochytrium Oil with with Five-Year Exclusivity for Bioplus
GOED member Nu-Mega Ingredients has entered an exclusive strategic partnership with food and beverage manufacturer Aplinova in Brazil to bring DHA omega-3 solutions to the Brazilian market.
GOED member Sirio Pharma will build a manufacturing facility in Thailand in Q4 2025 in response to record APAC revenues, driven by strong demand in Singapore, Australia, Thailand and Indonesia.
On August 1, 2025, the China National Health Commission (NHC) released a draft national food safety standard for Nutrition Supplement Foods for the Elderly and EPA+DHA is listed as optional at 200-250 mg/day. This means that if a source of EPA and DHA is added, the product should contain 200-250 mg EPA+DHA. While stakeholders are invited to submit comments by 26 September 2025, GOED does not plan to do so. If any members feel strongly that GOED should submit comments, please contact Harry Rice to discuss.
Additionally, the China National Health Commission (NHC) announced a public consultation on GB 14880-xxxx Standard for the Use of Nutritional Fortification Substances in Foods. The revised standard will replace GB 14880-2012, which already included DHA, but it reflects a significant update in both technical content and structural design. More specifically, the draft introduces more precise terminology that reflects China's dual-track approach to food fortification, including definitions for “population-based food fortification” and “voluntary food fortification.” The food categories for voluntary fortification of DHA can be found in Table B.2.
The last update to GB 14880 relevant to DHA was the amendment announced on 19 January 2023 by the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment (CFSA), which adjusted the fortification amount of DHA from a percentage to a specific usage.
Member-Sponsored Research
GOED member Solutex sponsored a study published in Nutrients that found DHA-rich omega-3 supplementation, especially when combined with resistance training, may improve muscle strength, reduce inflammation and enhance cholesterol profiles in postmenopausal women.
GOED member Pesquera Hayduk has earned its second star from the Carbon Footprint Peru program, awarded by the Ministry of Environment, recognizing the company’s commitment to measuring, verifying and reducing greenhouse gas emissions as a core part of its growth strategy.
Dr. Richard Bazinet, professor at the University of Toronto and former GOED Exchange speaker, won the Supelco AOCS Research Award for his work on brain lipid metabolism and its links to neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases. His team studies how dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids affect ARA and DHA metabolism in brain phospholipids.
Oral rabies vaccine dipped in fish oil will be air-dropped by the USDA Wildlife Service to vaccinate wildlife in the Saint Lawrence Valley Region along the Canadian border.
The first US-funded lighthouse was completed in Cape Henry, Virginia, in 1792. Its fish-oil lamps guided ships for nearly 90 years before being replaced by the current cast-iron tower.
Science Committee, August 27, 14:00 UTC [Click for your time zone] August presentation: Aldo Bernasconi from GOED will present his newest publication, “Cost-Effectiveness of LCPUFA for Secondary Prevention of CVD in the United States.”
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