Omega-3s Sourcing: Why Diversifying Sources Is a Strategic Priority
Omega‑3s sourcing is becoming a major strategic challenge for nutrition players.
Climate volatility, pressure on marine resources, changing fishing quotas, and tighter traceability requirements are rapidly reshaping omega-3s sourcing strategies. For companies operating in human nutrition, animal nutrition, and aquaculture, diversifying sources of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) — two primary marine omega-3 fatty acids — has become a strategic imperative to strengthen supply resilience, procurement security, and operational continuity.
For decades, the omega-3s market relied on a relatively stable model centred on fish oils produced in a few key regions. This model supported growth across human nutrition, aquaculture, and animal nutrition markets, but rising pressure on marine resources has exposed the model’s limitations.
With the global omega-3s ingredient market estimated at approximately USD 3.46 billion in 2026 [1] and a heavy dependence on Peruvian anchovy fisheries, the risk of structural supply disruptions and price instability has increased.
According to GOED (Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s), global omega-3s ingredient volumes reached 136,000 tonnes in 2025 (+2.6% vs 2024), while market value declined 4.3% to USD 2.53 billion, reflecting supply tensions and commoditization in certain segments.
In this context, source diversification is no longer only a product innovation topic; it is a strategic necessity for resilience, supply security, and traceability.
Global omega-3s market — key numbers (2025)
Total omega-3s ingredient volume: 136,000 tonnes in 2025 (+2.6% vs 2024) [1].
Ingredient market value: USD 2.53 billion in 2025 (-4.3% vs 2024), indicating tensions and commoditization in some market segments [1].
Peruvian anchovy quotas: reduced from 3 Mt at the start of 2025 to 1.91 Mt for the first 2026 season (-36%) [2].
The majority of produced fish oil remains destined for aquaculture, which limits volumes available for specialized human and animal nutrition [2].
1. GOED Publishes 2026 Ingredient Market Report
2. Fish Oil Omega-3 Market Size & Share Analysis 2026- 2031
Why is the historical omega-3s sourcing model under pressure?
What was once a relatively stable model now shows its limits in the face of concentrated supply, volatile fishing quotas, and increasingly exposed logistics chains.
The global omega-3s market remains heavily dependent on a few major production regions, notably Peruvian anchovy fisheries. This geographic concentration exposes nutrition companies to significant instability from climate shocks, quota changes, logistical tensions, and regulatory shifts. According to NutraIngredients — insert link — Peruvian anchovy quotas, for example, fell from 3 Mt at the start of 2025 to 1.91 Mt for the first 2026 season, a 36% drop in one year, highlighting acute supply-chain vulnerability.
According to the report Fish Oil Omega-3 Market Size & Share Analysis 2026- 2031, the bulk of produced fish oil is allocated to aquaculture, limiting volumes available for specialized human and animal nutrition.
At the same time, demand for EPA and DHA in dietary supplements and medical nutrition continues to grow across Europe, North America and Asia, increasing competition for marine raw materials.
This mounting pressure on marine resources is closely monitored by industry stakeholders and international bodies such as GOED, IFFO (The Marine Ingredients Organisation) and FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization).
For nutrition companies, these trends have direct operational consequences: securing volumes, stabilizing raw material costs, ensuring formulation continuity, and maintaining long-term customer commitments. In Europe, supplement and medical-nutrition manufacturers are actively reducing exposure to South American supply risks by diversifying toward European or Northern European supply chains.
In premium segments — high-end supplements, medical nutrition, and specialized animal nutrition — expectations around traceability, ingredient origin, and supply-chain sustainability are also strengthening.
Driven by an aging population, the rise of preventive nutrition, aquaculture expansion, and growth in Asian markets, global demand for omega-3s remains robust.
The issue therefore goes beyond access to omega-3s rich in EPA and DHA: it concerns the overall reliability of supply chains and manufacturers’ ability to sustainably diversify their sources. For human nutrition companies, this means integrating criteria for supply robustness, traceability, and continuity early in product development.
In response to these pressures, diversifying omega-3s sources is no longer just about product innovation: it becomes a lever for resilience and differentiation through new marine lipid formats and European supply chains.
What are the applications for these new omega-3s sources?
Algal oils, krill, and fishery co-products address different needs depending on application, regulatory constraints, and formulation requirements. Each option offers a complementary sourcing approach, tailored to specific positioning and formulation challenges.
· Algal oils: EPA/DHA sources derived from microalgae, well suited to vegan, vegetarian, and clean-label formulations.
· Krill: a premium omega-3s source characterized by a unique lipid structure.
· Fishery co-products: an approach aligned with circular economy principles, supporting the valorization of European marine resources.
Beyond EPA and DHA content alone, manufacturers increasingly evaluate factors such as bioavailability, marine lipid origin, formulation stability, and perceived product quality for marketing differentiation.
In this context, phospholipids are key molecules naturally present in certain marine oils, including herring roe oil, krill oil, and some oils derived from fishery co-products.
Why do phospholipid-rich marine oils offer a new route to differentiation for manufacturers?
In the current market transformation, marine phospholipids play a unique role. Present in specific marine sources, they align with manufacturers’ interest in solutions that combine formulation performance, nutritional quality, and product differentiation.
Unlike conventional fish oils, which are mainly structured as triglycerides, phospholipid-rich marine oils have a distinct lipid organization that opens new formulation and value-creation opportunities.
For manufacturers, this approach enables supply diversification while meeting higher expectations for traceability, raw-material origin, and perceived formulation quality.
Phospholipid-rich marine oils are gaining interest due to their specific lipid architecture, formulation stability, and upscaling potential, notably for premium dietary supplements and specialized nutrition products.
In this context, certain European marine supply chains — notably those based on Norwegian herring — are gaining more attention for their traceability and their ability to support more secure sourcing strategies. Northern European supply chains (Norway and the Nordic seas) are increasingly preferred for their regulatory frameworks, traceability, and proximity to manufacturing sites.
How does the B-Romega™ range help nutrition companies secure their omega-3s sourcing?
In this new environment, manufacturers seek solutions that combine supply security, supply-chain traceability, nutritional quality and formulation differentiation.
Produced by Groupe Berkem, in partnership with Arctic Bioscience, B-Romega™
is a range of phospholipid-rich marine oils developed from herring roe oil from Norway and the Nordic seas, along with selected other fish oils. Designed for dietary supplements, this range supports normal resolution of inflammation across multiple physiological systems.
The supply chain is short and controlled, offering full raw-material traceability and valorization of a European marine resource recognized for its lipid quality.
Naturally rich in marine phospholipids, these oils feature a unique lipid organization that enables manufacturers to pursue new formulation strategies combining nutritional performance, ingredient quality, and product upscaling.
This approach also addresses current market expectations: diversification of EPA and DHA sources, controlled origin of raw materials, and resilient supply chains. As a result, omega-3s strategies are increasingly linked to resilience, traceability, and operational continuity challenges.
With a resource-preservation mindset, manufacturers are also paying greater attention to the real impact of ingredients on marine ecosystems. The herring roe oils used in the B-Romega™ range come from a Nordic supply chain managed by quotas and international scientific monitoring, with stocks currently maintained above the established sustainability thresholds defined for the resource.
The B-Romega™ range offers a structured alternative to conventional fish oils, featuring traceable raw materials, a controlled value chain and Europe-based industrial production.
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FAQ – Omega-3s Source Diversification and B-Romega™
Why has diversifying omega-3s sources become strategic?
Because it addresses a dual need: optimizing nutritional profiles and securing supplies of omega-3s amid growing demand and variable availability of marine resources.
What are the main alternatives to conventional fish oils?
Algal oils, krill oil, marine phospholipids, and fishery co-products, each serving specific formulation, positioning, and traceability needs.
Why are marine phospholipids attractive to B2B manufacturers?
They feature a different lipid organization than triglycerides, offering differentiation potential, strong formulation stability, and appeal for premium and specialized product ranges.
Where does B-Romega™’s phospholipid raw material come from?
B-Romega™ is produced from marine phospholipids extracted from fresh herring roe sourced in Norway and the Nordic seas, using a short value chain and full traceability.
Which types of B2B players are concerned by B-Romega™?
Human nutrition players — nutraceutical manufacturers, supplement companies, formulators and contract manufacturers — seeking to secure and differentiate their omega-3s formulations.
