Call for New Regulations including Third Party Verification to Deter Pet Industry Fraud and Achieve Consumer Trust through Transparency

MOLDE, NORWAY, June 14, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- In a random sampling of North American brands of Salmon oil for dogs, a study was conducted using NMR technology (ID testing) to determine species authenticity. It was found that more than 80% of the products were not pure salmon oil but a combination of various other omega fish oils. “Seafood is an industry where we really see the problem of food fraud occurring on a wide scale,” says Emily Spiegel, the co-author of a report on seafood fraud, from the Vermont Law School’s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS).

The ORIVO research team routinely buys and analyzes consumer products to monitor the level of fraud in different market segments. Previous studies of omega-3 dietary supplements for human and pet food products have shown that the number of falsely labeled products, which is strictly illegal, can be significant.

ORIVO´s CEO Svein Erik Haugmo sees this as an indication that the level of fraud in the pet supplement industry is substantial. “The level of fraud we have found in this random sampling analysis is well above what we have found in other markets. We have only tested a small number of products and the results do not necessarily represent the entire pet supplement market. We know that wild Alaskan salmon oil is a source of limited supply. Our experience from other markets tells us that this, combined with a high demand, makes it tempting to sell cheaper raw materials of lower quality as the premium product. Pet owners deserve truth and transparency in order to make an informed decision about the products they feed their dogs.”

The “chemical fingerprint” of the sampled fish oils were compared to the database of reference samples and fingerprints to determine their authenticity. ORIVO’s databases contains over 10,000 marine species samples allowing for accurate authenticity testing of commercial omega-3 supplements. The analyzed data is based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, a technology commonly deployed in the field of medicine and chemistry to identify the molecular structure of a sample.

“We advocate that the FTC or the pet industry establish guidelines or legislation for comprehensive labeling regulations such as a third-party verification requirement, authenticating fish species in order to deter fraudulent labeling. Third party verification is used widely in the human supplement industry and has only just begun to be used in the pet industry. By using a technology such as ORIVO´s, fish oil authentication is communicated to consumers through a verification logo on the product label. The logo contains a unique four-digit code which consumers can use to find the product´s online verification document which identifies the validated production batches, ensuring consumers access to products with a guaranteed and tested marine source.”

ABOUT ORIVO
ORIVO has delivered evidence-based testing services and verification programs to the global feed and supplement industry since 2014. The testing technology is based on proven laboratory analysis technologies combined with reference databases and analysis algorithms. ORIVO is able to verify species and region of origin via quality assured sampling protocols. Based in Molde, Norway, ORIVO serves the global markets with this independent third-party verification to meet the consumer demand for transparent and sustainable feed and dietary supplements.

Svein Erik Haugmo
ORIVO AS
+47 993 61 301
seh@orivo.no
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.