The biotech company, founded in Rotterdam in 2011 specializes in the development and global supply of algal-based omega-3 DHA ingredients for the food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries.
The certification makes EU-certified organic DHA from algae an option for formulators, in particular infant formula, where such ingredients were previously unavailable, and exemptions were required, Wikke Heij, communications advisor at Progress Biotech, told NutraIngredients.
“Until now, EU‑Organic certified DHA from algae simply did not exist on the market; that absence has held back truly organic formulations for years,” Heij said.
The organic trend
As reported in Mintel’s Natural and Organic BPC Consumer Report 2025, sales of organic beauty and wellbeing products grew by 11% in 2024, reaching £151m in the UK alone. As Heij explained, organic certification ‘matters a great deal’ as a third‑party signal to discerning consumers and retailers alike.
She noted that the newly-acquired certification is likely to accelerate broader reformulation trends toward fully organic product lines, particularly in infant nutrition.
“Brands can now reformulate entire ranges, starting with infant formula and extending into organic follow-on formula, without the ‘last mile’ non‑organic DHA constraint,” Heij said.
“We’ve intentionally created two products: one for infant formula, and a clear, double‑winterized oil for transparent nutraceutical applications. Both are plant‑based, neutral in taste/odour/colour, and aligned with clean‑label expectations. Ideal for fast organic reformulations across categories.”
Impact on infant nutrition
Heij explained that due to the lack of certified organic algae-derived DHA in Europe, infant nutrition manufacturers were, until now, ‘forced’ to rely on exemptions to comply with DHA mandates.
This has created “regulatory complexity and messaging friction on ‘fully organic’ claims”, she said.
Under EU organic regulations, non-organic ingredients can be used in organic products only by exception, typically when the ingredient is legally required, and there is no certified organic version available on the market. DHA has previously fallen into this category, as it is mandatory in infant formula under EU law.
It has also meant that manufacturers needed to navigate ingredient workarounds that compromised taste and sensory quality and exposed them to supply-chain risk, Heij added.
“Now, they can formulate fully organic recipes that meet EU rules, with a Novel Food authorized ingredient specifically developed for infant formula, removing exemption paperwork and simplifying quality, labelling and claims,” she said.
Heij predicted algal‑based omega‑3s will become the dominant source for DHA in organic nutrition in the near future.
“Organic brands want plant‑origin, traceable, and scalable omega‑3 sources,” she said. “As EU‑Organic algal DHA becomes the new baseline, we expect a rapid shift away from fish‑derived inputs in organic products, especially in infant and family nutrition, where supply certainty, label clarity and sustainability are decisive.”
Organic fish oil vs algae oil
As Heij explained, Progress Biotech’s algal DHA production reduces supply risks by removing dependence on fisheries and seasonal catch variability.
It is possible for fish-derived oils to be certified organic, however as wild fish cannot be controlled for their diet or environment, organic fish oil almost exclusively comes from farm-raised fish that are fed organic diets in regulated conditions.
Organic algae DHA is generally less complicated than organic fish oil, as algae production happens in controlled environments, which fits much better with how organic standards are defined. Because algae are cultivated and not wild-harvested, a sustainable supply is easier to manage and certify.
What does organic certification involve?
Algae-derived ingredients were not eligible for organic certification until clear standards were introduced in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Once these rules were established, algae-derived ingredients such as organic DHA oil, as well as farmed seaweed and algae, could be certified if they met the required criteria.
However, in the EU, organic algae and seaweed production must follow strict rules aimed at protecting marine ecosystems and ensuring product quality. This means producers must control growing density so algae can develop naturally without damaging the surrounding environment, maintain high water quality, and avoid artificial growth stimulation, such as synthetic hormones or chemical enhancers.
Furthermore, any nutrients or cultivation aids used must also be organic-compliant, and producers must also minimise handling and mechanical stress, reducing damage during harvesting and downstream processing.
While Progress Biotech has been recognized in the US with USDA NOP certification since 2024, organic standards are not the same in every region, and therefore one certification does not automatically cover all products or markets.
Achieving both USDA NOP and EU-Organic certifications makes it easier to meet requirements, label products correctly, and sell across different regions, Heij noted.
“It is a strict system, as it should be, but certifying a new range of products is complicated and time-consuming,” Heij said. “Being the first is an uphill battle.”
