What GOED's 2026 Ingredient Market Report Reveals About Omega-3 Volume and Value

The Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED) published the 2026 edition of its Ingredient Market Report, an annual analysis of the raw materials segment of the EPA and DHA omega-3 supply chain.^1,2

This 200-plus-page report draws on proprietary data from the organization's member companies and covers 2024 and 2025 figures across 6 finished product categories, including dietary supplements, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, pet nutrition, infant formula, and clinical nutrition and medical foods, with forecasts extending through 2028.

For manufacturers sourcing omega-3 ingredients, the report's headline figures point in different directions depending on whether volume or value is used as the measure. Total global ingredient volume reached 136,000 metric tons in 2025, a 2.6% increase over 2024, while total market value fell 4.3% to $2.53 billion.

The organization attributes that gap to a price correction rather than weakening demand, tracing it back to a temporary spike in refined oil prices during the El Niño-driven disruption to Peruvian anchovy oil supply in 2023 and 2024, with prices normalizing by late 2024.^1,2

That framing lines up with comments that Harry Rice, PhD, GOED's vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs, made in a Nutritional Outlook interview about the durability of the supply chain's recovery. Rice noted that a similar disruption 2 to 3 years earlier did not cause lasting shortages because member companies drew down existing inventory to keep supply flowing, but that those buffers have not been rebuilt since.³

The distinction matters for how manufacturers read this year's price normalization, as a correction absorbed by inventory on hand is a different risk profile than one that would be absorbed the same way again, since the buffer Rice described may no longer exist at the same scale.

What Does the Report Say About Regional and Category-Level Growth?

The report identifies the United States and Europe as the largest existing markets by volume, while pointing to China as the fastest-growing market, driven by an expanding and increasingly sophisticated supplement segment along with rising demand in pet nutrition.^1,2 Mexico, along with unspecified markets grouped as "Rest of Asia" and "Rest of the World," are identified as emerging growth opportunities.

Category-level growth was uneven. Most finished product applications grew in volume, but infant formula and pharmaceuticals remained flat. The pharmaceutical segment was affected by generic competition from Vascepa, the branded icosapent ethyl product; Hikma Pharmaceuticals received FDA approval for a generic equivalent in May 2020, following a Nevada district court ruling that invalidated several of the drug's patents, with limited-scale launch beginning later that year.⁴

The report attributes flat infant formula demand to falling birth rates across its core markets in Asia, Europe, and the United States, identifying Latin America and Africa as areas of future potential.

What Risks Does the Report Flag for the Omega-3 Supply Chain Going Forward?

The organization identifies supply concentration and geopolitical instability as the primary risks facing the industry going into 2028. It notes that sourcing diversification increased somewhat following the 2023-2024 El Niño disruption, but that the industry remains dependent on a small number of origin points for raw material.

The announcement also points to Middle East conflict and protectionist trade policy as factors that could disrupt trade flows, raise costs, and pressure consumer discretionary spending.¹^,2

What Should Manufacturers Take From This Year's Report?

The volume-value divergence in this year's figures suggests recovering supply conditions following the prior El Niño-driven disruption. Manufacturers relying on omega-3 ingredients for new product development may find the report's category and regional breakdowns useful for sourcing decisions, but should weigh those figures against the report's proprietary, member-supplied data model.

References

1. Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s. GOED publishes 2026 Ingredient Market Report. July 23, 2026. Accessed July 24, 2026. https://goedomega3.com/news/post/goed-publishes-2026-ingredient-market-report

2. Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s. The 2026 EPA+DHA omega-3 Ingredient Market Report. July 2026. Accessed July 24, 2026. https://goedomega3.com/purchase/ingredient-market-report

3. Rice H, Saraceno N. Inside the fish oil supply chain. Nutritional Outlook. June 25, 2026. Accessed July 24, 2026. https://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/view/inside-fish-oil-supply-chain

4. Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC. Hikma receives FDA approval for its generic Vascepa. PR Newswire. May 22, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2026. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hikma-receives-fda-approval-for-its-generic-vascepa-301064061.html