Norway files application to include Calanus Oil in Codex Alimentarius

Norwegian Authorities, represented by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, have submitted an application to the Codex Alimentarius Commission to include calanus oil in the Codex Standard (CODEX STAN 329-2017). Codex Alimentarius is a joint initiative from The Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization, both organizations from the United Nations.

Oil from Calanus finmarchicus is currently available through the Norwegian company Calanus AS, through the ingredient brand name Calanus® Oil. Calanus AS has developed the whole value chain for this vast resource, and holds a number of patents on harvesting technology and product applications.

CEO in Calanus AS, Gunnar Rørstad, says: “We are very happy that Norwegian Authorities have endorsed Calanus® Oil and want to have it listed in the Codex Standard. For us, this is a fantastic recognition of the effort we have made to develop harvesting and manufacturing technology and knowledge around Calanus finmarchicus“.

Calanus finmarchicus is a 3-4 mm long marine zooplankton (copepod). It is the most numerous animal species in the Norwegian Sea and has the largest biomass production in the Northern hemisphere. The annual biomass production is 300 million tons, which is twice as much as all the World´s fishery and aquaculture together.

“To achieve Codex listing would be a statement about the prospects of Calanus® Oil and shows that the international community belives in the importance of making Calanus® Oil available to the people of the world“, Rørstad concludes.

Calanus® Oil is an omega-3 rich oil, where the fatty acid´s special chemistry gives additional benefits in the metabolic health area. Recent research has shown a favorable impact on body composition, insulin sensitivity and heart pumping efficiency. Calanus® Oil is currently being sold in Europe and North America, with several regualatory approval processes ongoing in other markets.

GOED´s executive director, Ellen Schutt, states: “GOED supports Calanus and the Norwegian Authorities’ Codex submission to include Calanus as a named oil in the Standard for Fish Oils. The benefits of EPA and DHA - which are contained in Calanus oil - are important for public health and we would like to see the oil accepted on a global scale”.

For further information please contact Gunnar Rørstad by phone +47 913 65 942 or by e-mail: gunnar.rorstad@calanus.no or Head of Sales and Marketing Jan Erik Olsen on tel. +47 951 45 351 or by e-mail: jan.erik.olsen@calanus.no. Please also refer to the company's website: www.calanus.com.