Arcadia Biosciences obtains U.S. FDA GRAS status for SONOVA® GLA safflower oil

Arcadia Biosciences, Inc., an agricultural technology company, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted Arcadia’s conclusion that its SONOVA® GLA safflower oil is “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) for use in nutritional beverages and medical foods.

Arcadia produces GLA safflower nutritional oils with high concentrations of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). These oils are marketed by Arcadia under the SONOVA® brand and are currently used in nutritional supplement products. GLA is a nutritionally important omega-6 fatty acid that helps support the body’s anti-inflammatory response and is especially useful for managing weight, improving skin health and maintaining hormonal balance for women. When used in combination with the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), GLA has been shown to support heart and eye health.

“This FDA GRAS notification expands the application options for Arcadia’s SONOVA® GLA safflower oil, opening adjacent markets for our customers in nutritional beverages and medical foods,” said Raj Ketkar, president and CEO of Arcadia Biosciences. “By providing our customers with oil containing two to three times the concentration of other sources of GLA, we expect our proprietary SONOVA® GLA safflower oil to provide important health benefits at a superior cost position.”

Arcadia followed FDA-proposed procedures to establish its SONOVA® GLA safflower oil as GRAS under the intended conditions of use. This process included convening an expert panel to review the necessary product safety data and then submitting a notification to the FDA.

SONOVA® GLA safflower oil is produced in the United States under strict identity preservation protocols and is currently available in several forms, including bulk oil, soft gels and powder. SONOVA® 400 GLA Safflower Oil contains 40 percent GLA, four times the concentration of evening primrose oil and twice the concentration of borage oil. SONOVA® ULTRA GLA Safflower Oil contains 55 percent GLA.