Five tips for a stronger omega-3 supply chain

Today’s fish oil supply picture is clear. Peru’s first 2026 anchovy season closed early, uncertainty remains around the next season, human-nutrition-grade crude fish oil availability has fallen sharply and El Niño continues to add climate pressures.

For omega-3 brands and manufacturers, the focus is now shifting from understanding the disruption to protecting supply, managing exposure and building greater resilience. While fish oil will remain an important part of the category, recent conditions highlight the risks of relying heavily on one single species, geography and production system.

The steps brands take today can help strengthen their future omega-3 portfolios and prepare them for continued market change. Here are five tips to navigate the disruption and build greater supply resilience…

1. Understand the supply chain – and map real exposure

The omega-3 supply chain is more complex than the relationship between a brand and its direct ingredient supplier, and a purchase order or supply agreement does not necessarily mean the underlying crude oil has already been produced or secured.

To manage supply risk effectively, brands need to understand where the raw material comes from, especially since multiple suppliers may rely on the same fisheries, countries or crude oil sources.

Beyond this exposure, brands should also assess risk at the finished product level. For example, ingredients with higher EPA and DHA concentrations require more crude fish oil to produce a given quantity of a finished ingredient, which can increase exposure to raw material availability and price volatility.

2. Be open to alternative sources of EPA and DHA

Fish oil is not the only way to effectively deliver EPA and DHA. Complementary sources such as krill oil or algae-derived omega-3 can be good alternatives.

For example, algae-derived DHA can provide an omega-3 source independent of wild-capture fisheries, while krill oil offers a marine source in which EPA and DHA are naturally associated with phospholipids, alongside naturally occurring choline and astaxanthin.

Importantly, consumers may also be receptive to a different approach, helping to further justify diversification. Recent consumer research indicates that approximately 30% of fish oil consumers globally would consider switching to krill oil, with that figure rising to 44% in the US and 45% in China.¹ This suggests diversification can serve a dual purpose: strengthening supply resilience while meeting growing consumer interest in alternative omega-3 sources.

Taken together, this can help create new opportunities for brands to build a more diversified portfolio rather than simply searching for a one-for-one substitute.

3. Don’t compare alternatives only on cost per kilogram

When supply tightens, the natural response is to compare alternatives based on price, but cost per kilogram only tells part of the story. The real value of an ingredient relates to what it contains, how effectively it is used by the body, and how it is experienced by the consumer.

Krill oil’s phospholipid structure supports efficient absorption and incorporation of omega-3s into cell membranes with studies comparing the advantages of krill oil’s phospholipid structure to fish oil.²

This delivery story is complemented by krill oil’s naturally multi-nutrient profile, providing EPA and DHA alongside phospholipids, choline in the form of phosphatidylcholine, and astaxanthin, all within the same marine oil matrix. Together, these characteristics can offer brands a differentiated consumer proposition beyond omega-3 content alone.

Consumer experience also matters. Krill oil can offer a more convenient and enjoyable omega-3 experience, with smaller capsules and less concern about fishy burp-backs. For brands, this can translate into a more appealing product experience and a differentiated formulation proposition.

It’s important for brands to evaluate ingredient value not by a commodity price comparison (cost per kilogram) but rather based on total finished-product economics and consumer value.

4. Think portfolio strategy, not replacement

Today’s fish oil disruption will eventually change, but the underlying supply dynamics will remain. Rather than treating each event as an isolated supply emergency, brands should use the current situation as an opportunity to reconsider how their omega-3 portfolio is structured. For example, a diversified portfolio might include:

Core: Traditional fish oil products serving high-volume, established consumer needs.

Premium: Differentiated marine omega-3 solutions, such as phospholipid-based krill oil, designed around specific consumer propositions.

Alternative: Algae-derived omega-3 and other sources that provide greater independence from traditional fish-oil supply.

Every brand does not need three separate product lines, but considering where different sources can play different roles can create new opportunities for clearer market segmentation and differentiated price points.

5. Build label and qualification flexibility before you need it

When supply changes occur, label flexibility and qualification time can become constraints. Existing labels and specifications can sometimes create less flexibility than expected, particularly when a product is tied to a specific ingredient form, source or certification.

For example, building greater flexibility into labels by allowing more than one source or by declaring total EPA and DHA omega-3 content rather than fixed EPA and DHA amounts, will allow brands to substitute faster when the need occurs. Qualification is another important consideration. Introducing an alternative ingredient may require supplier audits, specification reviews, regulatory assessment, dossier review, pilot production, stability work, artwork changes and retailer notification.

The supplier’s level of preparedness can make a significant difference. Brands that have already considered alternative sources and built flexibility into their product specifications may be able to respond more quickly when supply conditions change.

Solutions for future-proofing a portfolio

The five tips above can help brands understand how to strengthen their omega-3 portfolios, but beyond that, it’s imperative to understand what solutions are available today.

More than EPA and DHA

Superba Krill is a multi-nutrient powerhouse naturally containing omega-3 EPA and DHA, phospholipids, choline and astaxanthin, creating opportunities for a broader nutritional proposition beyond simply delivering EPA and DHA. Krill oil delivers omega-3s in a phospholipid structure that supports absorption and incorporation into cell membranes, and research shows that at an equivalent EPA and DHA dose, krill oil is efficiently absorbed and achieves greater incorporation into cell membranes than fish oil.

Behind the ingredient is a substantial body of research, with Superba supported by more than 60 published human clinical studies across multiple areas of health including heart, joint and skin health, as well as healthy ageing and many others.^3-6

Beyond its health benefits, Superba’s sustainability credentials further differentiate it from other sources. Harvested from the Antarctic krill fishery, it is managed under the international framework established by Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and has carried Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification since 2010.

Diversification beyond wild-capture fisheries

Revervia algae omega-3 delivers naturally high concentrations of DHA and EPA in triglyceride form, reaching up to 60% omega-3 without additional concentration steps. Produced through land-based, enclosed fermentation, it provides a scalable source of omega-3s independent of wild-capture fisheries, giving brands greater flexibility to diversify their omega-3 supply and strengthen long-term supply resilience.

Its naturally high potency also offers formulation advantages, providing more room for other nutrients while enabling meaningful omega-3 doses in smaller, more convenient capsules.

As a fish-free, plant-based source of omega-3s, Revervia creates new formulation and positioning opportunities for brands looking beyond traditional marine sources while delivering omega-3s in the same triglyceride form naturally found in fish oils. For brands focused on long-term resilience, algae can therefore represent more than an alternative ingredient as a strategic component of a diversified omega-3 portfolio.

Brands need to start now

Brands that understand their true raw-material exposure, show openness to diversifying their EPA and DHA sources, evaluate ingredients based on total product and consumer value, as well as prepare their labels and qualification processes in advance can be better equipped to navigate future changes in the market.

The goal is not simply to find a substitute when the next disruption occurs, but rather to build an omega-3 portfolio that can withstand the next supply disruption.

References