China unveiled its first pork product enriched with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on Friday, signaling a structural shift in how the world's largest pork consumer manages public health and its livestock sector.

The launch coincides with a new national agricultural standard, effective May 1, which mandates that omega-3 levels in fortified pork must exceed 2 percent of total fatty acids.

This regulatory milestone aims to bridge the "nutrition gap" in a country where the average daily omega-3 intake is just 49 milligrams — less than 20 percent of the recommended daily allowance.

Wang Xiaohong, deputy head of the Institute of Food and Nutrition Development at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said Chinese people generally consume relatively high levels of dietary fat, but the composition of fatty acids remains unbalanced.

Omega-3 fatty acids play an important role in regulating blood lipids, protecting cardiovascular health, maintaining anti-inflammatory balance and supporting brain development, he said.

"Developing nutritionally fortified pork products could help improve public dietary health while boosting the value of China's pig industry," Wang said.

Ding Gangqiang, chief nutrition expert at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, emphasized the urgency of improving the fatty-acid structure of the national diet through optimized food sources.

Omega-3-enriched pork could provide an accessible way for consumers to increase their intake of beneficial polyunsaturated fatty acids, he said.

Wang Lixian, chief scientist of the pig genetic breeding innovation team at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said China's black pig industry is shifting from a focus on breed preservation and expansion toward improvements in quality and nutritional value.

"Nutritional enhancement will become a key competitive advantage," he said.

The pork market is currently experiencing a pronounced low-price cycle, with live hog and retail prices in many regions falling to recent lows. Developing higher-quality pork products could offer producers a new growth path and help avoid intense price competition, he added.

The omega-3-enriched pork is produced using the Taihu pig breed, which has been raised in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, for more than 7,000 years, according to developer Qinglian Food.

Local producers introduced mature omega-3-enhancing breeding techniques and developed specialized feed formulas. By incorporating natural ingredients such as flaxseed and other omega-3-rich materials into pigs' diets, the approach enables the natural deposition of omega-3 fatty acids in pork.

Pigs need balanced nutrition to produce healthier food for people, said Miao Yu, head of Qinglian's Taihu black pig brand.

The new standard specifies that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids should account for more than 2 percent of total fatty acids in fortified pork products.

The new standard provides a scientific guideline for the standardized and high-quality development of nutritional pork, Wang Xiaohong said, adding that it also sets requirements across the entire supply chain.