Marc St-Onge is the founder and CEO of Ascenta. He is a renowned expert in the field of omega-3 and formulator of the Ascenta product line. St-Onge passionately pursues the goal of establishing Ascenta as a world leader in health, environmental stewardship and social responsibility. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. 

Health E-Insights: What is your approach to science?
 
Mr. St-Onge:It’s always important to maintain a consumer focused perspective with respect to scientific research. Successful innovation finds new solutions to real consumer issues. We are always striving to add value or an improvement in the life a consumer.
 
Health E-Insights: What significant industry trends do you envision?
 
Mr. St-Onge:Sustainability is a hot topic in the natural products industry. Within the omega-3 industry you’ll see more focus on eco-label certifications as well as novel omega-3 sources such as squid and algae.
 
Health E-Insights: Have you had to overcome major obstacles in building your business?
 
Mr. St-Onge: Convincing consumers that not all fish oils are created equal has been a challenging task. For instance, most consumers generally associate fish and fish oils as tasting fishy. The accurate statement would be that fresh fish and fish oils have virtually no taste or smell until they begin to oxidize. The large investment we’ve made in developing technology and expertise to mitigate this oxidation affect required us to reset consumer’s minds about what fish really tastes like. Finally consumers are becoming aware and associating the great taste of our fish oils with freshness.
 
Health E-Insights: What is your most successful product and why?
 
Mr. St-Onge: NutraSea+D liquid fish oil with 1000 IU of vitamin D is our most successful product we’ve introduced. Fish oils oxidize rapidly which is the primary challenge for liquid fish oils. The common solution to this problem is to add ample amounts of citrus based flavors, lemon and orange, which are effective at masking fish smell and taste. This approach has some drawbacks. These flavors can act as irritants, people get tired of the same flavor, and they prefer fresh tasting oils versus fishy ones that have been masked with flavor. While the NutraSea+D formula is very basic it features apple flavor which is not a flavor with masking properties. The use of a non-citrus flavor exemplifies the fresh taste of Ascenta’s fish oils and offers consumers a great tasting alternative to lemon and orange fish oils.
 
Health E-Insights: What do you consider your greatest achievement?
 
Mr. St-Onge:The commercialization of a novel omega-3 ingredient called Echium was a great challenge. This seed crop has numerous challenges from growing to processing to stabilization. After four years of development the fruits of our labor produced the first plant based omega-3 with the same benefits as fish oils. This is due to Echium’s high concentration of the omega-3 SDA which converts rapidly in the body to EPA and DHA.
 
Health E-Insights: What is your idea of perfect happiness?
 
Mr. St-Onge: Happiness is a state of harmony, freeing our body and minds from stress, and maintaining a sense of gratitude as we move through life.