Three important omega fatty acid forms, EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), ARA (arachidonic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), are being advertized increasingly to highly-informed consumers. DHA and ARA are found in breast milk and research indicates they are crucial for perinatal brain development. European companies have incorporated these fats in infant formulas, a trend that has finally reached the U.S. with DHA- and ARA-fortified products from both the Ross Products division, Columbus, Ohio, of Abbott Laboratories and Mead Johnson Nutritionals division, Evansville, Ind., of Bristol-Myers Squibb.
The use of omega-3s in infant formulas is extending to their use in fluid milks around the globe driven, in part, by multinationals such as Nestle, with its Omega Plus line in South America and the Far East.