As you know, I have a huge allegiance to omega-3 fatty acids and their potential for our readers. So much so that my friends are convinced that under the mask of my smiling face there is a giant fish head. I have done my best to steer clear of allegiance to any particular brand, but I do have a strong allegiance to integrity. I ran across something recently that felt really wrong, and I'd like to bring it to our fans' attention, so that their choices for who to support in the quest for hormone balance are informed choices.
From time to time I've mentioned a line of products I thought were really nice omega-3 options from a company called Barlean's, their Omega Swirl line. Pictured here is their packaging, including their lemon-flavored fish oil and their strawberry-banana flavored flax oil.
Yesterday I ran across a new line of products.
Here's a picture of their lemon fish oil product.
And wow, here's their — whaddaya know — strawberry banana flax oil product.
Same flavor, same concept…they didn't even bother to package in a different bottle.
As for what's inside, the original (Barlean's) contains 365 mg DHA, 365 mg EPA, and 970 mg total omega-3 fatty acids. The other company's product? 360 mg DHA, 360 mg EPA, and just over 1000 mg total omega-3 fatty acids. A little too close to be considered coincidence.
I know there are certain rules by which the US Patent and Trademark Office define how we each can play the intellectual property game. And I know for every rule there are always 2 or 3 or 4 ways around it.
But I also know what integrity looks like. This is not it.
Be good to the Barlean's people. They're the ones who did the hard work and the ones who deserve our support.
**I receive no compensation from Barlean's and never have.