COLUMBIA, Md., March 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- DHA omega-3
innovator and maker of the life'sDHA™ brand, Martek
Biosciences Corporation (Nasdaq: MATK) announced today that it has
signed a five-year agreement with Fortune Global 500 company COFCO
Food Sales & Distribution Co., Ltd, a branch of the COFCO
group, for the use of Martek's life'sDHA in COFCO cooking
oils and potentially other categories.
COFCO launched its first consumer product featuring Martek's
life'sDHA this month. COFCO's Fortune Natural Grains
Blended Cooking Oil with life'sDHA is now available at major
retailers across China and
features the life'sDHA logo on the product packaging and in
related marketing, advertising and promotional materials. This is
the first cooking oil with DHA to be launched in China.
"Our new Fortune Natural Grains Blended Cooking Oil with
life'sDHA signals a new era of scientific and technological
innovation in the cooking oil industry," said Chen Gang, COFCO's general manager.
In China, the edible cooking
oils market is excess of $9 billion
and continues to grow each year. China is the world's largest consumer of
edible oils, at 24 million tons per year.
"We are pleased to be working with COFCO, a leader and innovator
in the Chinese cooking oil industry, to introduce the first healthy
cooking oil with life'sDHA to Chinese consumers to help
support brain, eye and heart health," said David Abramson, president of Martek. "This
product launch is a significant milestone as we seek to expand our
presence in international markets like China, and as we continue to diversify our
product applications, including the large and growing cooking oil
category."
DHA omega-3 is a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid that serves as a
primary building block for the brain and the eyes and supports
brain, eye and cardiovascular health throughout life. There is a
large and growing body of scientific evidence demonstrating that
people of all ages benefit from an adequate supply of DHA omega-3
in their diets. Scientific reviews have highlighted the importance
of DHA omega-3 in proper brain and eye development and function, as
well as its importance in cardiovascular health. Leading experts
around the world have noted that DHA is an important nutrient for
health throughout the life cycle. Yet despite its importance, most
consumers do not get enough DHA in their diets.
"This is a very innovative product," said Shanghai senior nutritionist Chen Wen. "DHA is important for brain, eye and
heart health throughout life and we believe Fortune Natural Grains
Blended Cooking Oil with vegetarian life'sDHA will appeal to
the Chinese market."
Fish are often incorrectly thought to be the only source of DHA
omega-3. However, life'sDHA offers a trusted, vegetarian
form of DHA that contains no oceanic pollutants or toxins. Fish are
sources of DHA because of the DHA-rich microalgae in their food
chain; life'sDHA is derived directly from microalgae, a
renewable, sustainable source of DHA that does not deplete ocean
resources, and is produced entirely in the U.S. in an FDA-inspected
facility. Today, life'sDHA is found in numerous foods,
beverages and supplements for people of all ages. It is also the
only source of DHA used in U.S. infant formula and is included in
more than 99 percent of all formulas on the U.S. market, as well as
in more than 350 infant formula, nutritional supplement, and food
and beverage products sold in over 75 countries worldwide.
Martek Biosciences Corporation (Nasdaq: MATK) is a leader in the
innovation, development, production and sales of high-value
products from microbial sources that promote health and wellness
through nutrition. The company is the world's leading
provider of algal DHA omega-3 with its flagship product,
life'sDHA, a sustainable and vegetarian source of algal DHA
omega-3 important for brain, heart and eye health throughout life,
for use in foods, beverages, infant formula, and supplements. The
company also produces life'sARA™ (arachidonic acid), an
omega-6 fatty acid, for use in infant formula and growing up milks.
Additionally, Martek's subsidiary, Amerifit Brands, develops,
markets and distributes branded consumer health and wellness
products in major mass, club, drug, grocery and specialty stores
and holds leading brand positions in all of its key product
categories. For more information on Martek Biosciences, visit
http://www.martek.com. For a complete list of life'sDHA™ or
life'sARA™ products, visit http://www.lifesdha.com. For more
information about Amerifit Brands, visit www.amerifit.com.
Sections of this release contain forward-looking statements.
These statements are based upon numerous assumptions which Martek
cannot control and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ. These statements should be understood in
light of the risk factors set forth in the company's filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited
to, the company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2009 and other filed reports on Form
10-K, Form 10-K/A, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K.
Contact: Kyle Stults
Investor Relations
(410) 740-0081
Investors@martek.com
Cassie France-Kelly
Public Relations
(443) 542-2116
cfrancekelly@martek.com
SOURCE Martek Biosciences Corporation