Incorporating omega‐3 in the food chain – why, where and how?

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Summary It has been recognised for decades that high fat intakes are not conducive to good health and, more recently, that the fatty acid profile of the diet (sometimes referred to as fat quality) is also important. Fat intake as a proportion of total food energy has declined over recent years in line with recommendations. Although there have been changes in the types of fats consumed and a fall in the total intake of saturates towards the recommended level, there is still room for improvement. The proportion of energy derived from saturates is still too high in most EU countries. The recommended level is 10% or less of total energy (<11% total food energy) but data show that only two Member States consume 12% or less of total energy as saturates. As the main factor determining serum cholesterol is the amount of saturates in the diet, there are heart health benefits to be gained from achieving a reduction. Meanwhile, research investigating the promise of health benefits linked to increased consumption of n‐6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, monounsaturates and long‐chain n‐3 (omega‐3) polyunsaturates has expanded our knowledge of the health effects of these fatty acids in our diets. Attempts to modify dietary fatty acid profile started with meat and dairy products but developments throughout the food chain have now taken place, such as production of lower fat meats, meat products and spreads; low‐fat milks and dairy products, and a variety of manufactured foods with a reduced fat content and enhanced fatty acid profile. Together these initiatives have led to a fall in saturates intake and improvements in the overall fatty acid profile of our diets, although targets have generally not been met as yet. More recently there have been recommendations to increase our intake of fish, the primary dietary source of long‐chain n‐3 fatty acids. However, the latter has been accompanied by environmental concerns about the safety and sustainability of fish and fish oil supplies. Dietary sources of these long chain n‐3 fatty acids are very limited, oily fish being the only major source. Meanwhile, across Europe, associated with the increased prevalence of obesity and related morbidities, health care costs have soared, exacerbated by the fact that people are living longer although these extra years are often spent in poor health. This has provoked a renewed and reinvigorated search for dietary approaches to health promotion that can potentially be applied to the food supply at the population level. Exploring ways of enhancing the food supply with respect to long‐chain n‐3 fatty acids has been the focus of researchers associated with the EU‐funded Lipgene project. Possible routes include enrichment of meat and meat products through standard animal husbandry techniques, enrichment of milk (either via the cows’ diet or during processing), and more controversially the development of transgenic plants capable of producing long‐chain n‐3 fatty acids, which could be used as a vehicle to introduce these important fatty acids into the food chain.