Our natural resources are under a lot of pressure to nurture 7.6 billion people. Our beautiful Earth can provide what everyone needs, but if we want the Earth to take care of all of us, then we need to use our Earth’s resources wisely. The staff at Asheville Compounding Pharmacy recognize the need to be good stewards of our natural resources and we are proud to have ACP Omega certified by Friend of the Sea.
Friend of the Sea is the leading certification organization for sustainable seafood products. Keep reading this short article to learn why a certified fish oil supplement is good for your body and the Earth.
01. High Quality Assurance
A lot of fish oil products make a lot of promises regarding the quality of their product, but how do you know you are getting what the manufacturer has listed on the label when the FDA does not require third party testing of supplements? You don’t know unless the supplement is tested by an organization that operates independently of the supplement manufacturer. Using an organization that is independent of the supplement manufacturer is critically important because an independent company does not have a financial incentive to produce a specific result. An independent company is paid to perform the test and deliver the results to the manufacturer.
Friend of the Sea’s certification process is extensive. All components of the fish oil manufacturing process must meet their strict standards. The wild caught anchovies used for ACP Omega must be caught in a way that limits the catching of fish that will not be used to manufacture ACP Omega. Moreover, fisheries that supply fish for the manufacture of ACP Omega must not use genetically modified ingredients and they must track and trace ALL ingredients used in ACP Omega.
In addition to Friend of the Sea certification, ACP Omega is tested by Eurofins (www.eurofins.com) to ensure potency and that the ACP Omega manufacturing process successfully removed heavy metals and toxins like dioxins from the final product.
Click Here for the full list of certification standards that fisheries must meet in order to be Friends of the Sea certified.
Click Here for the full list of certification standards that manufacturers of Omega 3 supplements must meet in order to be Friends of the Sea certified.
02. Environmental Conservation
All of us want our future generations to live healthy and happy lives. Our oceans are a key component of providing the resources we need to stay well. Friend of the Sea ensures that all of its certified suppliers harvest and process marine resources in ways that keep our marine ecosystems thriving.
Click Here for a list of Friend of the Sea’s active conservation projects. Friend of the Sea conducts these conservation projects in addition to their work ensuring their partners produce their goods and services in compliance with their sustainability standards.
03. Equitable use of Marine Resources
According to Friend of the Sea, approximately 60% of our world’s population live in coastal areas and according to www.oecd.org, approximately 3 billion people depend upon the ocean’s resources for their livelihoods. Friend of the Sea’s conservation efforts ensures that wealthier countries and corporations do not exploit the ocean’s resources in order to create big profits and leave less wealthy countries without the means to earn a living from those same resources.
ACP is also proud that Friend of the Sea requires adherence to social accountability standards such as ensuring employees have access to health care and are not coerced into working or subject to discrimination.