The COVID-19 pandemic situation is affecting all of us, both in business and personal life. 
Almost 8 weeks ago we took strict measures here at Epax with the aim of:
- Protecting our employees, as far as possible
- Secure production and deliveries to our customers
- Secure supply of various input materials

So far, we seem to have succeeded and, fortunately, we are all fine and in good health. Most of our staff is working from home, all in line with the recommendations from the Norwegian government, and can be reached through the regular channels (phone/email/Teams). 

Luckily, we are in a business segment which seems quite robust and our thoughts go out to all those who have lost their jobs and income. Some sectors are really suffering, but we are certain that we as a society will come out stronger on the other side. 

GOED - the Global Organization for EPA & DHA Omega-3s - has launched its consumer outreach program 'Omega-3 Insider'. Follow this link to sign up, and receive the latest research-backed news and information on EPA and DHA omega-3s, plus some surprises and discounts from GOED member organizations.

As member of the GOED board - and one of the founding members - Epax is happy to share that the registration for GOED Exchange on February 4-6 2020 is now open! Join us in Barcelona for this biennial event as Omega-3 thought leaders share important information about the Omega-3 industry. For more information, visit the GOED Exchange website by clicking here. 

Read leading trade magazine NutraIngredients' article on Epax's USD 35 million investment in Omega-3 innovation here

Epax Norway AS will be exhibiting at Suppply Side West October 17-18 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, NV. Our booth number is 3715, located to the left of the Bayside D entrance (the middle entrance). Stop by to say hello, or contact your Epax or Stauber (exclusive Epax distributor for North America) representative to schedule a meeting in our private, on-stand meeting room!

Epax Norway AS is set to exhibit at Vitafoods Asia September 25-26 at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Visit us at stand I13 on the GOED Pavilion for a chat about Omega-3!

On June 19, the US Food and Drug Administration decided to allow a qualified health claim (QHC) linking EPA and DHA to a reduction in blood pressure. The QHC came after a thorough evaluation of GOED's August 2014 health claim petition and is a huge leap forward for both the industry and the general population. According to the American Heart Association, more than 100 million American adults have high blood pressure, leading to increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. Further, the FDA updated its safety review to examine more recent evidence regarding the effects of consuming EPA and DHA at levels above 3 grams per day on glycemic control, blood cholesterol, and risk of excessive bleeding, and concluded levels up to 5 grams per day as safe.

Read the full reply to GOED's petition here!

The Epax production facility is located relatively close to the city centre of Ålesund, so Epax has a special responsibility to find solutions that benefits the local environment. One of our focus areas is reducing local truck traffic, and the air pollution from that traffic. We have now achieved a dramatic reduction in road transport by shifting the majority of our by-product shipments to sea, and by setting up production of our own biofuel. 

Shipment by sea has a significantly lower carbon footprint than that of trucks. So in addition to reduced local pollution and congestion on the roads, we benefit from the efficiency of scale in that ships burn far less fuel per ton of by-products transported. This effort is in line with recommendations made by the UN (UNCTAD: https://unctad.org/meetings/en/SessionalDocuments/cimem7d17_en.pdf).

Our biofuel is made from the by-products of our Omega-3 production, and burns extremely clean, with very little dust resulting from the combustion. And it comes of course from a renewable source.

Molecular distillation is, for many consumers, synonymous with product quality and purity. Most people connect the term with the removal of environmental impurities in fish oils, but molecular distillation also plays a key role in the up-concentration of EPA and DHA content. Due to the mild nature of the technology, Epax considers molecular distillation to be the best way of increasing EPA and DHA content without triggering the oxidation process in the oil, and inadvertently creating unwanted, and potentially harmful, oxidative by-products such as trans fatty acids, oligomers and polymers. We have now made a great technological breakthrough in the quest to increase the maximum achievable concentration levels, reaching concentrations up to 700 mg/g of EPA/DHA. Contact your Epax representative for further details! 

As part of an increased focus on organoleptic values, Epax has been an active participant in and contributor to the research project ‘QOMEGA-3 – Sensory Industry Standard for Marine Oils’, a project run by Norwegian research service company Møreforsking, funded by the Norwegian Research Fund (FHF).

After a 2-year process of actively testing and mapping fish oil samples from Norwegian manufacturers, Møreforsking suggests three quality categories; Gold, Silver, and Regular.

Our premium TGN concentrates have repeatedly received high scores and Gold Standard in the testing, and we are now initiating capital investments in our production facility to be able to eventually include sensory standards as part of our product specifications. 

Read more about the project (Norwegian text) here!

Leading trade magazine Natural Products Merchandiser report, based on market data from Accenture, that 'businesses that show commitment to a greater mission are more likely to influence and attract consumers'. Further, they state that the majority of consumers value companies that use good quality ingredients, treat employees well, and believe in reducing plastics and improving the environment. Read the full article here 

Interesting analysis by Aldo Bernasconi at The Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED). According to the data from the Global Burden of Disease Study, in 2016, in Western, Central and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, an estimated 227,000 CVD deaths were caused by seafood omega-3 intakes under 250 mg/day!! Watch Aldo's video for full analysis!

The first ever NutraIngredients Omega-3 Summit is fast approaching, promising to 'bring the international omega-3 community to Asia-Pacific, and take the insights from the region to the world'. Join us in Singapore, and use our discount code EPAX20673YA to save 20% on your access pass! 

At Epax, we have a long and proud tradition of supporting the scientific community with study medication. We do this to help develop new and independent science on the wonderful effects of Omega-3. We're excited and grateful that the latest study to publish, by Howe et. al., has been picked up by leading trade magazine NutraIngredients! Read the article here!

Ellen Schutt, Executive Director of GOED, sums up the year of EPA and DHA Omega-3s in this guest article published in NutraIngredients USA!

On February 20-22 2019, NutraIngredients will host the first ever NutraIngredients Omega-3 Summit (in association with GOED). The event will take place in Singapore, promising to 'bring the international omega-3 community to Asia-Pacific, and take the insights from the region to the world'. At Epax, we are excited to support what we are certain will be a top-notch Omega-3 event, and we are looking forward to 3 educational and fun days! 

Read more about the Summit here

Epax' owner company Pelagia, a leading producer of pelagic fish products for human consumption, and an important supplier of essential ingredients in all kinds of fish- and animal feed; protein concentrate, fishmeal, and fish oil, recently published its Q3 results. Visit Pelagia's website for more information!

The Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED) recently released an industry advisory on the correct way of measuring EPA and DHA. Whilst Area % historically was the standard measurement of the Omega-3 fatty acid content, Epax chose to replace this for the far more accurate weight measurement (mg/g) several years ago. In fact, all new products launched by Epax the past 5 years solely use mg/g unless where an addition of A% has been specifically required by the customer. We support GOED's effort to establish mg/g as the standard form of measurement. The new industry advisory can be found here.

The members of GOED recently voted to reduce the maximum limit on lead from 0.1 to 0.05 mg/kg in the GOED Voluntary Monograph. In order to furter support a positive development for the Omega-3 industry, Epax was one of the members voting for this change. The new limit will be valid from March 1, 2019. 

For Epax’ products and customers there will be no specification change required, as we already implemented a maximum limit of 0.025 mg/kg back in 2009-2010.  

Our R&D Manager Iren Stoknes and our Product Marketing Manager Sarah Christianslund will present at Nordic Lipidforum's seminar 'High Quality Lipid Products – lipid oxidation and sensory properties'. 

Join us in Ålesund October 24 and 25!

http://lipidforum.info/

The Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED) has relaunched its Omega-3 science hub 'Fats of Life'. This site is specifically designed for healthcare professionals, offering an easy way of accessing high-quality scientific data on the use of EPA and DHA Omega-3 for various health conditions/concerns. 

Check it out here: www.fatsoflife.com

Epax is proud to be a founding member of GOED! 

Visit Pelagia's webpage for more information! 

UPDATE: Application deadline has now passed. 

We currently have 2 positions open at our facility in Ålesund, Norway. Join one of the best teams in the Omega-3 industry!  

Epax Norway AS is set to exhibit at Vitafoods Asia September 11-12 at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Visit us at stand J30 on the GOED Pavilion for a chat about Omega-3!