The omega-3 market is crowded, but, considering sustainability and ethical concerns among consumers about long-chain polyunsaturated acids sourced from marine fish, a French company is placing its bets on their ingredient sourced from microalgae. They may be hoping that this greener source – literally and figuratively – will increase its marketing chances.

Schizochytrium limacinum (strain FCC-3204) is the latest such alga to receive marketing approval from EFSA in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 258/971 as a novel food. The omega-3 rich oil can now be used in food supplements as well as infant and follow-on formula. Following EFSA’s Opinion published in January 2021, the novel food was added to the Novel Food Catalogue on August 10, 2021, per Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1326.

In the process, S. limacinum was attributed the qualified presumption of safety (QPS) status with the qualification ‘for production purposes only’.