In December 2024, the company applied for modifications to the conditions of use of the novel food ‘Calanus finmarchicus oil’, and the European Commission has now accepted those amendments, which include higher astaxanthin levels, higher daily intake limits and more flexible labelling rules for Zooca Calanus Oil.
For adults, the maximum daily intake has increased from 2.3 g to 3.1 g/day (≤ 7.75 mg astaxanthin/day), giving brand owners the opportunity for more potent and flexible formulations, the company said.
“This regulatory change provides greater flexibility in supplement design,” Zooca stated in a press release. “It broadens the possible target groups and makes it easier to create compliant products for children, adolescents and adults with the same ingredient base. The change supports stronger use of existing EFSA-approved claims for EPA and DHA.
“We are proud to have initiated and secured this positive change, further strengthening the regulatory foundation for Zooca Calanus Oil in the EU market.”
Beyond Europe, calanus oil was officially approved by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) for inclusion in the Standard for Fish Oils last year, a move the company hailed as facilitating market access to “countries that base their food regulations on Codex standards, simplifying registration and trade processes for calanus oil”.
. (Zooca)Sourced from copepods
Calanus oil is extracted from the copepods of the same name, Calanus finmarchicus. It contains the omega-3s EPA, SDA and DHA predominantly in the wax ester form (the oil is slightly viscous). The oil also contains astaxanthin, which gives its ruby color, and marine policosanols.
Wax esters are historically associated with penguin, seal and whale oil but are being produced by Norwegian company Zooca (formerly Calanus AS) from C. finmarchicus.
According to Salma et al. (Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, 2016, Vol. 108, pp. 13-21), Calanus finmarchicus is “the most abundant crustacean in the North Atlantic Ocean.”
“Harvesting technology has been developed stepwise for some 20 years and is today conducted using gentle scooping nets, which are hauled through the water at a speed of approximately 1 knot,” explained authors of a new review in Lipidology. “The raw material remains consistent in composition, as harvesting is conducted within a narrow time window during spring and early summer.” (IakovKalinin/Getty Images)Sourcing, sustainability, and science
The sourcing and sustainability of the copepod were detailed in a recent review published in Lipidology. Experts from UiT—The Arctic University of Norway, Leibniz University Hannover and Zooca (Calanus AS) report that the impact of harvesting C. finmarchicus in the Norwegian Sea is modest, with a “recommended, precautionary annual quota of this resource is 0.5% of the standing stock”.
The review also explores the potential health benefits of calanus oil, noting that early pre-clinical studies with the oil were first published around 2012 and focused on cardiometabolic health. Much of the research used obese rodent models and found that dietary supplementation with calanus oil exhibited “significant anti-obesity and anti-inflammatory effects.”
“These effects were associated with the attenuation of obesity-related dysfunction of metabolism, such as insulin resistance and liver steatosis, as well as preservation of cardiac metabolic flexibility and recovery of post-ischemic ventricular function,” the reviewers wrote.
Human intervention studies using doses ranging from 2 grams per day to 4 grams per day have shown that calanus oil supplements may beneficially impact a range of biomarkers and health endpoints, including fat mass, insulin resistance and muscle strength (when combined with exercise).
“The findings from preclinical and clinical research discussed suggest that calanus oil has the potential to alleviate obesity-related metabolic disorders,” the reviewers wrote. “However, further studies are needed to examine the role of calanus oil as a dietary supplement, with respect to dosage and duration of the treatment, the interplay between the various components of the oil and targeted study population.”
Source: Lipidology, 2025, 2(2), 11; doi: 10.3390/lipidology2020011. “A Novel Marine Oil from the Copepod Calanus finmarchicus: Source, Harvesting, Chemistry and Potential Application in Human Health”. Authors: E. Aasum, et al.