Waitrose will, from tomorrow, become the first British supermarket to offer a range of chicken products enriched with omega-3.
The new products – including whole chickens, breast fillets and thigh meat – are sourced from chickens fed on a diet containing algae, which is naturally rich in omega-3. The company has teamed up with Moy Park to ensure that the chickens are reared to a bespoke set of welfare standards, which include plenty of natural light and more space to roam than the industry norm.
Waitrose claimed that the taste and appearance of the chicken is the same as birds reared on a conventional diet, but boasts the added benefits on heart, brain and eyesight function that are associated with omega-3 intake. The project, which has taken a decade to bring to market, was inspired by concerns that consumers were not incorporating enough omega-3 into their diets – particularly children, who often do not like oily fish.
Research undertaken in 2013 showed that people with high levels of omega-3 experienced a 40% reduction in cardiovascular-related deaths compared to people with the lowest levels – but less than one-quarter of adult consumers manage to consume the recommended intake of omega-3.
Heather Jenkins, Waitrose’s agricultural director, said: “Our research is showing that this nutritional breakthrough has the potential to have a significant impact on health. What’s exciting is that it’s improving the nutritional content of something which customers already consume frequently as part of their diets.”
Prof Chris Elliott of Queen’s University Belfast said that incorporating an additional source of omega-3 would help to reduce the £10 billion-a-year bill of dealing with the fallout from heart disease in the UK alone.
Professor Patrick Wall, professor of public health at University College Dublin, said: “This is actually going to revolutionise nutrition. The idea that you can make an everyday product healthier suggests you could have a huge impact on health.”
And Dr Joanne Lunn, Waitrose nutritionist, added: “This chicken will make a really useful contribution to our customers’ omega-3 intake as we know it can be hard to consume enough omega-3 from other sources, especially if you are not a fan of fish.”
Justin Coleman, Moy Park’s agriculture development manager, said: “Food and farming innovation are important focus areas for Moy Park and we are proud to be the first poultry company in the UK to produce chicken enriched with omega-3. Including omega-3 in the chickens’ natural diet makes this already healthy food even healthier.”
Initial trials have demonstrated that people eating enriched chicken for just five weeks have increased levels of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and see measurable effects on their cardiovascular health, Waitrose revealed. Initial testing was carried out on 30 healthy participants, whose omega-3 levels were measured after one, three and five weeks of eating three servings per week of omega-3-enriched chicken meat. On average participants saw their levels of omega-3 increase by 12%.
The new range of enriched chicken meat products will launch in Waitrose stores from tomorrow, price from £3.59 per kilogram.
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024