NORWAY
Vedde (Triple Nine Group)
Increased use of ďŹ sh oil for human consumption
V
edde AS produces fishmeal and fish oil of optimum quality. It is marketed, mainly to European buyers, by Nordsildmel AS. Since 2013 Vedde has been a member of the TripleNine Group, Europe’s largest producer of fishmeal and fish oil. Total production volume (including the group’s production facilities in Africa and South America) amounts to up to 80,000 t fishmeal and 40,000 t fish oil per year. Vedde alone processes over 100,000 t raw fish per year (about one quarter of it trimmings from the filleting industry) and produces from it 25,000 t fishmeal and 4,500 t fish oil. The main customers are feed producers that serve the aquaculture and agriculture industries. Founded in 1884 as a herring oil factory, Vedde today operates one of the most efficient and modern fishmeal factories in Europe. Modernisation measures and conversions have made production more energy-saving and environmentally friendly. Ola Flesland, the Research and Development Director at Vedde, has calculated that the energy saving measures have led to savings of nearly 15 million kWh per year. Apart from that, the company’s fishmeal production has been very sustainable because they only accept slaughter wastes and certified raw materials. In Norway Vedde cooperates with about 80 fishing vessels that
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fish in accordance with MSC standards or fulfil the Responsible Fishing criteria of the international fishmeal association IFFO. The growth in world population (according to OECD and FAO more than 9 billion people are expected to live on the earth in 2050) and the global economy as well as the increase in the affluent middle class are increasing demand for animal protein. That is why Ola Flesland sees excellent development potential for Vedde and TripleNine in the medium and long term. “The future outlook in the three market segments aquaculture, agriculture and pet food, where the core competences of the companies in the TripleNine Group lie, are really very promising. In spite of this we are working hard on finding new application fields for highquality fishmeal and fish oil and have thus joined the Legasea Project.� The strategic focus within the group lay strongly on research and development with the aim to achieve more value adding within the product range. The positive effects of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA in fish oil are particularly well documented. They help prevent high blood pressure, diabetes and circulatory problems. Fish oil capsules and other food supplements for human use are a growing market in which Vedde
Ola Flesland, R&D Manager Vedde AS. Not only EPA and DHA have positive effects in fish oil but also LC-Mufa.
and TriĂśleNine want to share. The company group presented a fish oil “Nordic Silverâ€? in a quality that is suitable for use in food at Vita Foods Europe in 2014. New cooling systems at the Vedde operation are said to keep the freshness of marine by-products at food grade level for longer. TripleNine already has a production facility in Thyborøn (Denmark) for the production of fish oil for human consumption. The Danish food authorities approved the
final product in October 2013. Ola Flesland is convinced that it is not only EPA and DHA that have positive effects in fish oil. “Fish oil from the North Atlantic also has high concentrations of LC-mufa (long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids). These stimulate in salmon the conversion of vegetable fatty acids to EPA and DHA which is becoming more and more important due to the increased use of agricultural raw materials for feed.
www.eurofishmagazine.com
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