Ocean Nutrition Canada

Ocean Nutrition Canada

Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Food, Dietary Supplements
Founded	1997 in Bedford, Nova Scotia
Headquarters	Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
Key people	Martin Jamieson CEO
Products	Fish Oil Capsules Meg-3 Brand Microcapsules
Employees	300 (2005)
Website	www.onc.ca

Ocean Nutrition Canada (ONC), a subsidiary of Clearwater Fine Foods, the world’s largest Omega-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)solutions provider, has a pioneering approach to wellness through innovation. Headquartered in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, ONC has created the leading Research & Development platform in the industry and operates the largest privately-owned marine research and development facility in North America ^[1].

ONC provides its customers in the dietary supplement, food ingredient and pharmaceutical sectors with a competitive advantage in the rapidly growing Omega-3 EPA/DHA market through its MEG-3® branded line of products created with ONC’s proprietary technology. MEG-3® products meet or exceed global quality standards. To date, MEG-3® has been included in more than 100 billion servings of food and supplement products worldwide.

Ocean Nutrition Canada operates three facilities:

• A research and development facility as well as a microencapsulation plant in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
• An oil processing and refinement plant in Mulgrave, Nova Scotia.
• An oil processing and microencapsulation plant at Arcadia, Wisconsin.

The company specializes in the microencapsulation of fish oil, and markets this ingredient as Meg-3.

History

ONC started with an interest in helping people become healthier by bringing the ocean's rich, nutritional resources to consumers around the world ^[2].

Beginning with four employees in 1997, ONC has seen tremendous growth and now has over 300 employees worldwide ^[3]. ONC is the world's leader in Omega-3 EPA/DHA ingredients from fish oil for customers across North America, Asia, Europe and Australia. Our MEG-3® ingredient is used in multi-national brand name products including supplements, baby food, breads, milk, yogurt, juice, spreads and nutritional snacks.

The company was founded on science, researching and developing only products supported by strong scientific evidence. Today ONC operates the largest privately owned marine research and development facility in North America - with 14 PhDs and over 30 researchers on staff.

ONC's goal is to help its clients meet the growing consumer demand for healthier, more nutritious products. As the world's foremost producer of Omega-3 EPA/DHA from fish oil, ONC continues to set global standards for product purity, quality, reliability, innovation, and service

Fisheries Sustainability

The fish oil ONC uses is a byproduct of the fish meal industry from the anchovy and sardine fishery in Peru. These are the ocean's smallest, cleanest fish and they are very rich in Omega-3 EPA/DHA.

The fishery is based in the Peruvian upwelling region, where the cold Antarctic waters meet the steep continental shelf off South America's west coast. It's one of the purest, richest marine environments in the world.

The Peruvian fishery is highly regulated and protected to ensure bio-diversity and sustainability. In fact, the region has maintained a consistent fish population for more than 30 years. ONC has worked closely with the Association of Peruvian Anchovy Producers to discuss and support opportunities for the fisheries to obtain Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification - which promotes responsible and sustainable fishing practices. The producers are now actively pursuing certification and ONC is committed to providing on-going support for this initiative.

References

1. ^ http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/news/2011/11/onc-gets-aocs-honorable-mention.aspx/
2. ^ http://www.progressmedia.ca/article/2009/09/billion-dollar-ingredients/
3. ^ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/ocean-nutrition-thinks-local-on-a-global-scale/article2223275/