Growing demand at Omega Protein
will triple its current capacity and help it meet increased demand
for its OmegaPure brand fish oil.
Houston-based Omega Protein is to to build a new fish oil processing facility at its Reedville, Virginia plant, with ability to produce 100-metric tons per day, more than tripling its current capacity.
The food-grade facility will allow the company to refine, bleach, winterize and deodorize its menhaden fish oil. The new facility will provide Omega Protein with automated packaging and refrigerated on-site storage capacity and will also have a new fully equipped lipids laboratory to enhance the development of Omega-3 oils and food products.
The new facility is expected to meet increased demand for the OmegaPure fish oil.
Joe von Rosenberg, Omega Protein president and chief executive officer, said: "The current and anticipated demand for OmegaPure, as well as our other refined feed grade and industrial oils, suggests that the company should take this exciting step now to ensure that we are the supplier of choice for our customers."
"We want our customers to know that they can rely on getting Omega Protein's refined oil products in the quantities they want, with the technical specifications they need and without concern about interruption of supply."
Construction on the project is slated to begin in May 2003, finishing the same month next year.
The company said it expects to invest more than $16 million in the new facility, providing the funding through cash on hand. The existing fish oil processing facility in Reedville will continue in operation until the new facility comes on line.
Omega Protein claims that its OmegaPure is the only fish oil source of Omega-3 long-chain essential fatty acids with the direct approval of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) direct ingredient for human consumption. It can be used in mainstream consumer foods, medical care foods and dietary supplements and is odorless, flavorless and organic.
Scientific studies have linked consumption of Omega-3 fish oil to several nutritional and health benefits, such as heart health, treatment of arthritis and other inflammatory diseases, improving brain and eye function and development and treatment of depression.
