Earth911 Podcast: Orlo Nutrition Introduces Carbon-Negative Algae-based Omega-3 Oil Supplements

Nutritional supplements, which the Centers for Disease Control report that 57.6% of adults consume, have significant environmental impacts. One family of supplements, Omega-3 oils, the healthy fats about 20 million Americans take each month to support brain and circulatory health, is responsible for the decline of krill in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica and overfishing of pelagic fish, such as anchovies and sardines, along the coast of Africa. Meet Corinna Bellizzi, Head of Sales and Marketing at Orlo Nutrition, an Icelandic nutritional supplement company growing algae to produce Omega-3 and related supplements. They remove the need to harvest krill or pelagic fish, which eat algae to produce Omega-3 oil coveted by fishermen.

We recently spoke with Philippe and Ashlan Cousteau about how Omega-3 oil production relies on harvesting krill. These tiny crustaceans capture and sequester massive amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. Their lifecycle is responsible for as much or more carbon sequestration as the Amazon rainforest. Orlo’s production facilities are colocated with a geothermal plant in Iceland, allowing the company to use renewable energy and CO2 captured from the sky to feed its algae. The result is a methylated form of vitamin B12 that contains the same amino acids as beef that removes about 1.1 Algae growth in labs and ponds could be the basis for a food and nutrition revolution, as well as replacing fossil fuel-based plastics with biodegradable alternatives, as we learned from Algenesis earlier this year. You can learn more about Orlo Nutrition at https://orlonutrition.com/