South Korea, China and Indonesia: Omega-3 ‘ones to watch’

FoodNavigator-Asia spoke to Adam Ismail, the executive director of the Global Organisation for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED) to delve into more detail about Asia Pacific’s vast and diverse omega-3 market.

“China is largest in terms of volume but the fastest growing market in Asia is South Korea,” ​Ismail said.

He said that consumers in South Korea are increasingly aware of omega-3, particularly in light of new government legislation that recommends 2 grams of omega DHA and EPA per day. This compares to Europe’s recommendation of 250mg/day, he noted.

China remains an “interesting market”​ he said and GOED’s focus here is on driving standards as there are a lot of quality issues and problems with mislabelling and unsubstantiated claims.

He noted that this is a shame as there are many good firms in the country and there is risk for these due to the illegitimate players in the market.

Ismail said that China and Indonesia will continue to offer opportunities, due to their sheer size and underdeveloped omega-3 sectors.