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New Labels Can Tout Heart-Healthy Foods

Posted on: Friday, 10 September 2004, 06:00 CDT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Fish, fowl, baby formula and any other conventional food products that contain two types of omega-3 fatty acids can market the fat's heart-healthy effect, regulators said Wednesday.

The fatty acids covered by the Food and Drug Administration's ruling are EPA, or eiscosapentaenoic acid, and DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid.

Oily fish such as mackerel, salmon, herring and lake trout are rich in that sort of omega-3 fatty acid, which is linked to an increase in good cholesterol that protects the heart from disease. One-half million Americans die from coronary heart disease each year, the FDA said.

The Grocery Manufacturers of America applauded the FDA's decision but were less pleased by the FDA's mandated label language. It begins: "Supportive but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease."

"It's a little wordy," said Alison Kretser, the group's director of scientific and nutrition policy.

Also, a federal advisory panel that offered final recommended revisions to the government's food pyramid in late August more emphatically linked omega-3 fatty acids to health benefits.

"We would like to see consistency in the messages consumers receive from the federal government," Kretser said.

The FDA recommends that consumers eat no more than 3 grams per day of the omega-3 fatty acids. According to the American Heart Association, that can be as little as 2 ounces of salmon to as much as 6 ounces of herring.

Martek Biosciences, one of the petitioners that sought the FDA action, may be among those most able to quickly tap into the multimillion dollar market. The Columbia, Md.-based company produces long-chain omega-3 fatty acids added to products such as baby formula.

Consumers pay up to 15 percent to 20 percent more for baby formula enriched with the omega-3 fatty acids, said Scott Van Winkle, Better Food & Nutrition living analyst at Adams Harkness, in Boston.

"If a consumer doesn't know what omega-3s are, I'm not sure this claim is going to be the catalyst to make them buy," Van Winkle said. "Consumer understanding is starting to rise. It's still pretty early, but it's building."

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