As part of the agreement, the 47 employees currently working in Brattvag will transfer from BASF to Marine Ingredients. With the acquisition, Marine Ingredients will gain control of omega-3 production, which is central to its business, thus expanding its ability to serve customers with tailor-made omega-3 products.
BASF, one of the leading global players in omega-3s, focuses its activities on the market segment for highly concentrated omega-3 fatty acids, following the acquisitions of Equateq (now BASF Pharma Callanish) in 2012 and of Pronova Biopharma in 2013. Highly concentrated omega-3 fatty acids for consumer health, clinical nutrition and pharmaceutical products are one of the key growth areas for BASF’s Nutrition & Health division.
Due to increased awareness of its health benefits, omega-3 has become an increasingly important segment of the dietary supplement, functional food and pharmaceuticals market. Several thousand academic and clinical studies have investigated the potential health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. Most of these studies identified omega-3 as beneficial for human health and highlighted its cardiovascular benefits.
Marine Ingredients, which has been in the omega-3 business since 1984, is a leading producer of quality omega-3 softgel and liquid formulations for brands serving health food stores, practitioners, direct response, the non-prescription medical market, direct selling and the mass market.