One of the hottest food additives in 2007 is already emerging, and it’s omega-3, the fatty acid that an increasing number of eggs are containing. Eggland’s Best, for example, sells eggs that have 100 milligrams of omega-3 compared with 37 grams in a conventional egg, by giving hens a diet high in canola oil, an article in USA Today notes. Other sources naturally high in omega-3 are fish oil or flax seeds.
Omega-3 is being added to a wide number of foods. Later this month, Tropicana will introduce the first national orange juice with omega-3, Kellogg’s has put it into Kashi cereal, and Unilever has put it in I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, the article says.
The primary target of food marketers is baby boomers, because omega-3 has been shown to cut the risks of heart disease, and possibly other diseases, including Alzheimer’s. According to a HealthFocus USA Trend Survey, 40% of consumers are looking for ways to put more omega-3 in their diet. Two years ago, omega-3 was in 120 new food products, but 250 in 2006.
“It’s become the miracle food,” a spokesperson for The Hain Celestial Group says in the article. Hain puts omega-3 in Health Valley cereal, and is about to add it to Earth’s Best infant formula, because some studies suggest it can improve brain development.
