Interview with President and CEO, Robert Gaffney and Rosalyn O’Connor, Client Services Department Manage - by Val Vaartnou, August 2017
I had the pleasure to meet with Robert Gaffney and Rosalyn O’Connor from Omega Nutrition in early August. I have used their products for several years and they have been very supportive of the CCA - Vancouver Chapter. I had not realized how advanced their processes were to ensure the quality of the products and the importance of the packaging materials in ensuring the lasting benefits of the products until I spent time reading about Omega Nutrition.
It all began with a vision to produce the best organic flaxseed oil possible. In 1986 Omega Nutrition had developed a proprietary “unique extraction process to prevent damaging exposure to light, heat, oxygen and reactive materials” producing a certified organic flaxseed oil with all the valuable nutrients, freshness and flavor intact. Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) are critical for our body’s cell membranes and our bodies cannot produce EFA’s. They must be obtained through our diet.
From the start, there was a commitment to innovation and research and development at Omega Nutrition. They buy only premium flaxseeds and test each batch to ensure both nutritional benefits and flavor. If the flavor of a batch is not good, seeds can be bitter, the batch is rejected. In 1987, Omega Nutrition had set up a manufacturing facility at 43 West Hastings in Vancouver. To enable access to the US market, a manufacturing facility was built in Bellingham by 1990. Vancouver remained the Head Office and Sales and Marketing centre.
In the early years, Robert worked directly with the farmers to ensure the organic integrity of the ingredients. As the business grew, he worked with brokers and still tests each lot of product prior to accepting the lot for production, to ensure the quality standards are maintained. Their business is not commodity driven. Quality of the ingredients is critical.
There are additional benefits to Omega’s production processes. Properly manufactured Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) can more easily be assimilated by the mitochondria which are responsible for energy conversion in our bodies. The “omegaflo” process uses small batch cold pressing in a light and oxygen free environment. No heat treatment is used in processing. Packaging is also critical. Opaque bottles flushed and sealed with inert gas result in a fresh oil with all nutrients intact and no toxic substances. “Commercial oils are excessively refined in huge volumes at high temperatures, often using chemical solvents to extract the oil from the source.” The benefits of Omega’s processes are known world-wide as sales are made not only in Canada, but US, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, United Kingdom, Iceland, Norway, South America, Mexico and Germany. They still remain a small scale operation however.
Omega continued to look to science and research and development for the direction of their products. They were the first to market with coconut oil based on the research of Dr. Mary Enig PhD, author of the book “Know Your Fats: The Complete Primer for Understanding the nutrition of Fats, Oils, and Cholesterol”. She has a PhD in Nutritional Science from the University of Maryland. In her book she discusses the functional saturated fatty acids such as lauric acid and how they promote health. Lauric acid provides half the fatty acid content of coconut -oil.
Although not specifically a requirement, all products are gluten-free and the product lines have grown to include not only flaxseed oil but Hi-Lignan Nutri Flax Powder; Pumpkin Seed Protein Powder, Pumpkin Seed Butter and oil; coconut oils, flour and capsules; organic apple cider vinegar; prune extract; sesame, avocado and olive oils and mixtures of oils; products for artists; and, pet food products. Their website and promotion materials provide recipes to use their products. Many are great ingredients in your morning smoothie.
Education is one of the biggest challenges of Omega Nutrition, given the amount of misinformation in the marketplace. It is difficult to communicate to the public the value they receive in the Omega Nutrition products and the care that has gone into their production. The regulatory environment is also a challenge especially when they provide products in several different countries. They must comply with the laws in each country and the labelling requirements of each of the countries are often different. Obtaining shelf space in retail operations for all products produced is also a challenge.
In summary, the proprietary process of extraction of the oils, the testing of each batch to ensure quality of nutrients and flavor and the attention to packaging to ensure the integrity of the product ensures a high quality end product for Omega Nutrition.
Omega Nutrition products can be found at the following stores: Choice’s; Whole Foods; Superstore; Save on Foods (Four stores in Burnaby); IGA; Genesis; Urban Fare; and, MJ’s Natural. If you cannot find the product you are looking for, ask the Store Manager to bring the product in.
It all began with a vision to produce the best organic flaxseed oil possible. In 1986 Omega Nutrition had developed a proprietary “unique extraction process to prevent damaging exposure to light, heat, oxygen and reactive materials” producing a certified organic flaxseed oil with all the valuable nutrients, freshness and flavor intact. Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) are critical for our body’s cell membranes and our bodies cannot produce EFA’s. They must be obtained through our diet.
From the start, there was a commitment to innovation and research and development at Omega Nutrition. They buy only premium flaxseeds and test each batch to ensure both nutritional benefits and flavor. If the flavor of a batch is not good, seeds can be bitter, the batch is rejected. In 1987, Omega Nutrition had set up a manufacturing facility at 43 West Hastings in Vancouver. To enable access to the US market, a manufacturing facility was built in Bellingham by 1990. Vancouver remained the Head Office and Sales and Marketing centre.
In the early years, Robert worked directly with the farmers to ensure the organic integrity of the ingredients. As the business grew, he worked with brokers and still tests each lot of product prior to accepting the lot for production, to ensure the quality standards are maintained. Their business is not commodity driven. Quality of the ingredients is critical.
There are additional benefits to Omega’s production processes. Properly manufactured Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) can more easily be assimilated by the mitochondria which are responsible for energy conversion in our bodies. The “omegaflo” process uses small batch cold pressing in a light and oxygen free environment. No heat treatment is used in processing. Packaging is also critical. Opaque bottles flushed and sealed with inert gas result in a fresh oil with all nutrients intact and no toxic substances. “Commercial oils are excessively refined in huge volumes at high temperatures, often using chemical solvents to extract the oil from the source.” The benefits of Omega’s processes are known world-wide as sales are made not only in Canada, but US, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, United Kingdom, Iceland, Norway, South America, Mexico and Germany. They still remain a small scale operation however.
Omega continued to look to science and research and development for the direction of their products. They were the first to market with coconut oil based on the research of Dr. Mary Enig PhD, author of the book “Know Your Fats: The Complete Primer for Understanding the nutrition of Fats, Oils, and Cholesterol”. She has a PhD in Nutritional Science from the University of Maryland. In her book she discusses the functional saturated fatty acids such as lauric acid and how they promote health. Lauric acid provides half the fatty acid content of coconut -oil.
Although not specifically a requirement, all products are gluten-free and the product lines have grown to include not only flaxseed oil but Hi-Lignan Nutri Flax Powder; Pumpkin Seed Protein Powder, Pumpkin Seed Butter and oil; coconut oils, flour and capsules; organic apple cider vinegar; prune extract; sesame, avocado and olive oils and mixtures of oils; products for artists; and, pet food products. Their website and promotion materials provide recipes to use their products. Many are great ingredients in your morning smoothie.
Education is one of the biggest challenges of Omega Nutrition, given the amount of misinformation in the marketplace. It is difficult to communicate to the public the value they receive in the Omega Nutrition products and the care that has gone into their production. The regulatory environment is also a challenge especially when they provide products in several different countries. They must comply with the laws in each country and the labelling requirements of each of the countries are often different. Obtaining shelf space in retail operations for all products produced is also a challenge.
In summary, the proprietary process of extraction of the oils, the testing of each batch to ensure quality of nutrients and flavor and the attention to packaging to ensure the integrity of the product ensures a high quality end product for Omega Nutrition.
Omega Nutrition products can be found at the following stores: Choice’s; Whole Foods; Superstore; Save on Foods (Four stores in Burnaby); IGA; Genesis; Urban Fare; and, MJ’s Natural. If you cannot find the product you are looking for, ask the Store Manager to bring the product in.
