Animal and fish feed

The enrichment of meat products with Omega-3 and its addition to animal feed to boost levels in animal derived produce is seen by some as having potential in bridging the gap between recommended and actual intake in the modern population. In the last years animal nutrition has experienced great progress in its search for the optimization of animal production. Several of these improvements have been ascribed to micro-ingredients used in the elaboration of animal feed, which have been formulated to make nutritional and heath conditions in animals better, aswell as to facilitate productive processes.

The benefit to the animal's health trickles down to humans who consume meat. The new research, published in the journal Nutrition Research, suggests that raising cattle on flaxseed diet (10 percent), rich in alpha-linolenic acid, leads to increases in the Omega-3 content of the meat, which could then be passed on to the consumer.

It is important to note that the decline in fish stocks and in the catch from wild fisheries in recent years has lead to increasing focus on aquaculture.