Leading omega-3 supplier EPAX AS was awarded Friend of the Sea (FOS) certification for its sustainable marine sourcing and production methods and will soon offer its Omega-3 oils as having a documented and traceable origin from sustainable fisheries, the company announced today.
Friend of the Sea is a non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to the conservation of marine habitat. It is currently the world's largest sustainable seafood certification organization, having assessed more than 10 million MT of wild-catch and 500,000 MT of farmed products.
Friend of the Sea's criteria compliance is verified by independent accredited certification bodies. Essential criteria for fisheries are:
• the product should not originate from overexploited (nor depleted, data deficient or recovering) stocks;
• the fishing method should not impact the seabed; and
• the fishing method should be selective (below the world average for discards).
"Environmental sustainability and concern for the world's sea life is a top priority at EPAX; the Friend of the Sea certification speaks to our commitment to being a documented, sustainable operation," said Bjorn Refsum, CEO of EPAX AS. "We are fortunate that our vertical integration through our corporation allows us, as well as our customers, the unique position of providing complete traceability-from our own fish harvesting in Peru to our finished Omega-3 products in Norway."
Additionally, EPAX was audited to ensure it meets FOS's requirements on carbon footprint reduction and offset as well as social accountability. Mr. Refsum noted that traceability is audited onsite by FOS, while an annual traceability surveillance is run on all purchase reports.
About EPAX AS
EPAX AS offers concentrated marine omega-3 oils in the business-to- business segment under the brand name EPAX(R), available in a wide range of top-quality formulas with different EPA/DHA ratios and concentrations focused on specific health conditions, available in TG and EE versions. EPAX AS is headquartered in Aalesund with a global sales office in Lysaker/Oslo, Norway. Its production facility in Aalesund is GMP-approved by the Norwegian Medicines Agency for the manufacturing of API products. The company's operation is certified by Friends of the SEA (FOS) to have a documented sustainable operation – from the fish harvesting in Peru to its finished omega-3 ingredients in Norway. EPAX is vertically integrated and part of the Austevoll Seafood ASA group – a global pelagic fishery specialist with operations in Chile, Norway and Peru (www.auss.no).
All of EPAX's business efforts reflect the company's core commitment:
Purity | Quality | Innovation. These values represent EPAX's commitment to offering products that are safe, pure and of consistent quality. EPAX specifications limits for environmental pollutants and oxidation by-products are well below those set by global authorities'
limits. The EPAX formulas are backed by clinical studies.
For further information on EPAX AS, its products or clinical studies visit www.epax.com or contact marketing manager Gunilla Traberg at gunilla.traberg@epax.com