The short answer: it’s one day dedicated to celebrating the health benefits of omega-3s EPA and DHA, and the very first one takes place Wednesday, March 3rd, which also happens to be “03/03.” This special day was conceived by The Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED), which has big plans for its future.
So what is GOED and why did they decide to create this event?
GOED represents the worldwide EPA and DHA omega-3 industry, and its membership is built on a quality standard unparalleled in the market. Its mission is to increase consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3s and ensure that its members produce quality products that consumers can trust. GOED is also an important educational resource for consumers and health professionals.
So what motivated GOED to establish Global Omega-3 Day? Elana Natker, GOED’s Director of Healthcare Practitioner and Consumer Communications, says it stemmed from the documented need for these important fatty acids around the world.
“While most people worldwide are aware of EPA and DHA omega-3s, intake is staggeringly low. There’s also a fair amount of confusion about omega-3s in general, including which foods are the best sources of EPA and DHA,” she said. “That’s why we created the first annual Global Omega-3 Day™ on March 3 (03-03) — to create an anchor point for the omega-3 industry to communicate the benefits of marine-based omega-3s, and the ways to get more through diet and nutrient supplementation.”
While GOED expects Global Omega-3 Day to grow scope in future years, this year is about introducing the concept with social media posts on the AlwaysOmega3s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram platforms, as well as GOED’s LinkedIn page.
This inaugural year will be a very grassroots effort existing mainly online, but GOED says it plans to grow this into an anchor event in future years – creating a special logo, organizing local in-person events and more.
Who Belongs to GOED?
GOED is comprised of approximately 170 members from around the globe in all segments of the omega-3 supply chain — from suppliers of raw material ingredients to manufacturers of finished products. The benchmark of GOED members is their commitment to quality, evidenced by their adherence to the GOED Voluntary Monograph, the benchmark for quality throughout the world. GOED members are required to uphold these quality standards as well as abide by GOED’s Ethics Guidelines as a condition of membership in the organization.
In terms of governance, GOED has a board of directors comprised of Leadership Level members and four active sub-committees: Communications, Regulatory Affairs, Science and Technical. The board is responsible for advancing GOED’s mission and setting up strategy. In addition, GOED’s staff and committees work to execute on its strategy.
GOED’s History
The roots of GOED stretch back to the turn of the century when the industry collaborated to petition the US Food and Drug Administration to establish a heart disease risk reduction claim for omega-3s. The companies involved later formalized the relationship by forming the Omega-3 Working Group at the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and collaborating again to develop what is now known as the GOED Voluntary Monograph.
In 2006, when the Working Group was dissolved at CRN, 12 of the companies banded together to found GOED with a strong mandate to grow the membership to represent all segments of the EPA and DHA market.
How GOED Educates Consumers & Health Professionals
AlwaysOmega3s.com is GOED’s consumer website, which is intended to be an educational resource for those who want to learn more about omega-3s and what they do. The main goal of the website is to take the science of omega-3s and translate it into easy-to-understand language about their health benefits.
GOED also owns FatsOfLife.com, a website for healthcare professionals that is designed to help keep them up to date about the benefits of EPA and DHA omega-3s. GOED’s believes empowering healthcare practitioners with the information they need about the importance of these nutrients for the entire population is an important undertaking. Created more than 20 years ago, FatsofLife.com has evolved from a journal-based newsletter summarizing cutting-edge research in the fatty acids field to the current fully-referenced site on the body of scientific evidence supporting the benefits of EPA and DHA.
According to GOED, There are more than 40,000 published studies on EPA and DHA, including more than 4,000 human clinical trials — more than the amount of studies on aspirin, vitamin C and Lipitor. The vast body of science associated with omega-3s supports consumption for overall wellness, including heart, brain, eye, and prenatal/maternal health.
Why Omega-3s?
Omega-3s are nutrients found throughout the body and there are two types: marine-based omega-3s (EPA and DHA) and plant-based omega-3s (ALA). EPA and DHA omega-3s in particular play a role in overall health, including heart, brain and eye health, and in supporting a healthy pregnancy, and their benefits are supported by thousands of published scientific studies. On average, people get enough ALA omega-3s through their diet, but they fall far short on getting enough EPA and DHA omega-3s.
INFOGRAPHIC: Test Your Omega-3 IQ
Marine-based omega-3s come from the sea: think fish, seafood, and supplements made from fish, krill (a crustacean) and marine microalgae (the only vegan source of EPA+DHA omega-3). To get enough omega-3s, you should:
- Eat fish – especially fatty/oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring and sardines – at least twice per week. (See this list of seafood and their omega-3 content)
- Take an omega-3 supplement. Check the Supplement Facts panel and make sure the amounts of EPA and DHA add up to at least 500 mg per serving, if not more. (Learn how to read a supplement label)
- Choose foods with added EPA and/or DHA omega-3s when available. These can be found in certain milk, eggs and other staples. Many infant formulas have added DHA to promote brain health and development.
- Test your omega-3s regularly. Even though you think you might be getting enough omega-3s, diet, genetics, lifestyle and other factors might have an impact you were unaware of. The only way to know if you are getting enough of the right omega-3s — EPA and DHA — is to test your Omega-3 Index level.
TOOL: Calculate How Much Omega-3 You Need to Reach an Optimal Omega-3 Index
In celebration of Global Omega-3 Day we are offering a 25% discount on your order at OmegaQuant.com/shop for ONE DAY ONLY. Make sure to check our site on March 3rd for the promo code you will need to get this special discount.
