USDA Approves Cargill’s Plant-Based Fish Oil Alternative

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved an omega-3 rich fish oil alternative produced by agriculture giant Cargill for aquafeed use in the US, the company said.

Cargill has been developing its Lattitude brand fish oil alternative since 2010. Its teams in Great Falls, Montana, Fort Collins, Colorado, and Blair, Nebraska, have been busy readying to produce large-scale quantities of genetically modified canola, which will be processed into the oil for use in aquafeed.

""This approval means we are on target to deliver Latitude, our sustainable, fish oil alternative made from canola oilseeds to aquaculture farmers and feed manufacturers. It represents another key step in creating a global supply chain that can meet a critical environmental challenge," Mark Christiansen, the managing director for Cargill's specialty oils business, said in a press release. 

Cargill has worked to commercialize the technology, which was originally developed by German chemical company BASF.

"We are committed to excellence in meeting the extensive regulatory and stewardship requirements that accompany a new, genetically-optimized crop, and to assuring strict adherence to all applicable regulations," Ralph Paulini, vice president of regulatory & stewardship for seeds & traits at BASF, said in a press release. "Our efforts are validated with the USDA deregulation of Cargill's omega-3 canola."

Cargill, along with many other ag companies and a host of startups, has worked in recent years toward developing fishmeal and fish oil alternatives to reduce the need for anchovy and other feeder fish to provide fish oil that many farmed species require. 

Source : Under Current News