24.06.08
HALIFAX, November 28, 2007 – With product recalls steeply on the rise across North America, Canada’s leading developer of omega-3 fish oil supplements, Ascenta Health Ltd., announced today a new quality guarantee program that exceeds industry regulations for product testing, saying it is time for more social responsibility.
Consumers are increasingly aware of the benefits of omega-3 supplementation for cardiovascular, mental and joint health. With so many omega-3 products in the market, however, it is hard for them to know who to trust for quality. Recent recalls of omega-3 supplements include two major ones by UK companies Seven Seas and Boots due to excessive dioxin levels found in their products.
In Canada, all natural health products must be regulated and tested for impurities and contaminants but, once a company has an approved quality program and has proven their product is safe, there is no minimum requirement for continued testing. Ascenta Health President Marc St-Onge believes current standards set a strong benchmark for companies, but he also feels manufacturers should apply their own set of values to their business practices.
“At Ascenta, we believe that being an industry leader carries with it certain responsibilities around quality, accountability and ethical business practice,” says St-Onge. “We take these responsibilities very seriously. That’s why we don’t just meet industry regulations for product testing; we exceed them.”
Ascenta is the only manufacturer of fish oil supplements to put every product batch through independent testing to certify quality, purity and label claims. Every batch is molecularly distilled and tested for over 400 contaminants at the highest detection levels. Test results are then posted at ascentahealth.com for consumers to see.
“When people are choosing a natural health supplement, they want a product they can trust to be safe and effective. Ascenta delivers on both, now more than ever,” says Dr. Bryce Wylde, homeopathic doctor and functional medicine nutritionist. “That’s not the case with every product out there.”
Industry experts estimate 80% of fish oil products on the market are not third-party tested for label claims or contaminants, and labs have uncovered that several products do not meet label claims. St-Onge says Ascenta Health is not prepared to take that risk.
Headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Ascenta Health develops omega-3 supplements under the NutraSea and OmegaSmooth brands sold throughout North America, the UK, India and Taiwan. In Canada, NutraSea has a dominant 43% market share.
