Omega-3 EPA and DHA claims: meeting the conditions of use

Omega-3 supplements are one of the biggest categories in the world, and their claims are unusually specific. The authorized EU health claims for EPA and DHA — the two key long-chain omega-3 fatty acids — come with defined daily amounts you have to deliver, and some require the daily dose to be stated on the label. Formulating an omega-3 product that can legitimately make its claims is a precise exercise in hitting those numbers.

The claims are amount-specific

The authorized claims for EPA and DHA — around normal heart function, and for DHA around brain and vision — each specify a daily amount of the fatty acid that must be consumed for the claim to apply. Some claims rest on DHA alone, others on EPA and DHA combined, at defined levels. The claim you want dictates a specific daily EPA and/or DHA target the product must deliver.

EPA and DHA, not just “fish oil”

A crucial detail: the claims depend on the EPA and DHA content, not the total fish or algal oil. A fish oil is only partly EPA and DHA, and the ratio varies by source and concentration. So the formula has to deliver the qualifying amount of the actual fatty acids — which means knowing the EPA and DHA content of the specific oil used, not just the oil quantity. This is the omega-3 version of the elemental-content principle.

The daily dose on the label

Some omega-3 claims require the product to state the daily amount that delivers the claimed effect. So the label has to declare the EPA and DHA per portion and indicate the intake that supports the claim. The declaration and the claim are tied: the stated dose has to actually deliver the qualifying amount.

Stability and oxidation

Omega-3 oils oxidize, which both degrades the actives and creates quality problems (rancidity). Holding the EPA and DHA claim through shelf life means managing oxidation — antioxidants, packaging, and overage where needed — so the qualifying amount is still present at end of life. The claim, the oxidation control, and the overage are one system, as with any degradable active.

This is general information, not regulatory or legal advice. Requirements differ by market and change over time, so confirm current rules with the relevant authority or a qualified regulatory expert before relying on them.

Where Lemoniq fits

Lemoniq holds each oil with its EPA and DHA content, so the formula delivers the qualifying fatty-acid amounts — not just oil quantity — links the claim to the daily dose stated on the label, and accounts for overage so the claim holds at end of life. An omega-3 product is built to meet its claim conditions precisely.

The takeaway

Omega-3 claims rest on defined daily amounts of EPA and DHA — the fatty acids, not the oil — stated on the label and held through shelf life against oxidation. Formulating from the actual EPA and DHA content, tied to the claim and the daily dose, is what lets an omega-3 supplement make its claims legitimately.

Lemoniq formulates omega-3 to its EPA/DHA claim conditions, dose and stability included. See how it works