February 8, 2007

Canadian company searching for the right feed for omega-3 chicken

Canadian poultry producer Prairie Orchard Farms is working to identify feed combinations that will add omega-3 fatty acids to its chicken meat.

The company is currently seeking label approvals in the US and Canada for its omega-3/selenium chicken.

Prairie Orchard Farms is a producer based in Winnipeg, Manitoba and last year received approval in the US to market omega-3 enriched pork.

The pork product, which is the result of custom feeding with flaxseed, vitamins and minerals, has high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids, which is believed to be able to reduce the risk of heart disease. Some studies found the risk was reduced by up to 44 percent. The company had received labeling approval for its pork product in Canada two years ago.

According to Prairie Orchard President Willy Hoffmann, preliminary tests have shown that poultry were enriched with omega-3 fatty acids and selenium after being fed a specialized diet of vitamins and organic minerals, supplemented with a plant source of essential fatty acids.