HAYWARD, Calif. — As American consumers kick off the new year with an eye on their health, omega-3 fatty acids are getting a lot of attention. They’re being added to orange juice, salad dressings and spreads as well as cereal, infant formula, eggs and even pet food.

The buzz is no surprise to Steve Gaddis, CEO of Pacific Cheese. The Gaddis family launched Omega Farms in 2005 after spending years researching the benefits of omega-3s and fashioning a way to include them in dairy products.

“We’ve all heard about the health benefits of good fats like omegas, and we know we need more in our diet,” says Gaddis. “The good news is, as scientific evidence builds in support of omega-3, companies like Omega Farms are helping people get more of the nutrients. Adding omega-3s to dairy staples such as milk, cheese and yogurt is a win-win situation. You get all of the health benefits of high-quality dairy products and the added benefits of omega-3s.”

Omega-3s are long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids important to good health, but they are not produced by the human body and therefore must be sourced in the diet. Two of the most critical omega-3s are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) found in oily, cold-water fish, researchers say. Studies show omega-3s reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease and reduce the risk or progression of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. They also are used to treat depression and bipolar disorder.

There’s a lot of praise for them coming from the medical and scientific communities. The American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee concluded that “omega-3 fatty acids have been shown in epidemiological and clinical trials to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease.” FDA says “supportive but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.”

Gaddis recognized the benefits omega-3s could bring health-wise and saw an opportunity to meet consumer demand for value-added/enhanced dairy products, as dairy is an excellent vehicle for omega-3s.

Because of this vision, the Omega Farms brand was developed to bring consumers the first full line of dairy products to contain an all-natural source of the fatty acids.

“We are giving people more options at the grocery store to help them get more omegas in their diet,” he adds. “Omega Farms milk, cheese and yogurt include an odorless, tasteless form of omega-3s. Your taste buds will never know you are treating your body so good.”

So how does Omega Farms make all these products? It partners with leading dairy companies to produce and distribute its products.

“Our program is designed to work with the industry through licensed manufacturing and distribution, and we also offer co-branding opportunities,” says Gaddis.

• Good-for-you fats

Omega Farms Nutritionist Cindy DiFerdinand says consumers are turning to omega-3 fatty acids to encourage heart health and for infant brain development and visual acuity. Omega-3s have an anti-inflammatory effect in the body and therefore help with arthritis or any condition of pain due to inflammation, she says.

Although most nutritionists counsel consumers to obtain their omega-3 allotments from eating fish, the majority of Americans do not consume enough fish to reap the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. DiFerdinand points out that widespread concerns about contaminants in fish have led many people, especially women of childbearing age, to sharply reduce their already low consumption of fish. As a result, some experts warn that as many as 80 percent of Americans do not get enough omega-3s in their diets, she says.

Some of the most significant benefits of omega-3s relate directly to women and children — including reducing the risk of heart disease, the No. 1 killer of women — and improving the near- and long-term health and well-being of pregnant moms and their newborns, notes DiFerdinand. Studies show that moms who take omega-3s during pregnancy have babies with better vision and are at a reduced risk of postpartum depression, she says.

As moms and kids already are big consumers of dairy products, the addition of omega-3s to the Omega Farms line — which also is made from milk produced without the use of artificial growth hormones — is like shooting fish in a barrel, if you’ll pardon the pun.

“Moms will be happy to know that they’re giving their kids a nutritional advantage,” DiFerdinand notes.

Omega Farms’ all-natural omega-3 is derived from purified cod oil from fish in Norwegian arctic waters. The oil is gently extracted, purified and filtered from the fish without the use of chemical solvents and meets the USDA standards for use in certified organic foods, DiFerdinand notes. This oil is licensed to Omega Farms for use in key dairy categories, she adds.

Other popular omega-3s are sourced from flaxseed, soybeans, walnuts and canola, but these sources contain the omega-3 fatty acid known as alpha linoleic acid, or ALA, that must be converted by the body into EPA and DHA, a process known to be uncertain and inefficient, explains DiFerdinand. Omega Farms products are a potent, pure and direct source of EPA and DHA, the most beneficial of the omega-3 fatty acids.

• Offerings under Omega Farms line

The Omega Farms brand currently offers 1 and 2 percent, vitamin D and chocolate milk with omega-3s, Cheddar and Monterey Jack with omega-3s as well as probiotic, nonfat yogurt with omega-3s in Peach, Strawberry, Vanilla and Plain flavors. Pacific Cheese will roll out calcium-fortified orange juice with omega-3s soon. All products contain 75 milligrams of omega-3s per serving. Gaddis exhausted all research and design efforts until he found the best source for the fatty acids for use in dairy products, as research showed most of the omega-3 oils on the market were not suitable for use in dairy, DiFerdinand notes.

“First and foremost, Omega Farms is about great taste,” she adds. “By adding omega-3s, we’re simply making our dairy line even more beneficial to the consumer who gets all the rich, creamy taste along with the benefits of both dairy and omega-3s.”

In Southern California, the products are available at Ralph’s, Wild Oats, Henry’s, Bristol Farms, Mother’s Markets, Hows, Clark’s, other independent markets and are coming soon to select Gelson’s.

In Northern California, select Omega Farms products are available at Andronico’s, Mollie Stone’s, Lunardi’s, Draeger’s, Piazza’s Fine Foods, Berkeley Bowl, New Leaf, Nugget Markets and other independent food stores. They soon will be featured at select Raley’s, G & G Markets and Sunrise Natural Foods.

But Omega Farms has even bigger plans for the line. A national roll-out is underway, with Omega Farms products soon to be introduced along the East Coast in a market-by-market fashion.

“We are the innovators (of adding omega-3s to dairy) and our whole approach is to educate consumers and give them more options to add healthy omega-3s in their diet,” says DiFerdinand. “We’re going to constantly bring something new to the health-conscious consumer.”

The company plans to produce these products in the Eastern United States as well once the line is rolled out in those markets.

Omega Farms also is looking to add more products to its line, including new cheese varieties as well as shredded and sliced cheese, she notes.

“We’ve gotten very, very good feedback on our cheeses,” DiFerdinand says. “People love the taste and the added health benefits of omega-3s.”

CMN