FAQs

Canpressco believes that every companion animal should benefit from a healthy diet and as an owner, you should understand where their food and supplements come from and how it is made. Our dedication to minimal processing lets the natural goodness of our Camelina Oil shine through, providing nourishing food for all your family members, including your four-legged ones.

We are real farmers who are committed to preserving the land through innovative, sustainable growing practices having a positive and meaningful impact on future farming generations to come.

There are three farmers at the heart of Canpressco. Dan Vandenhurk, Colin Rosengren and Ron Emde are a trio of second and third generation farmers who proudly count the Canadian prairies as some of the best agricultural land in the world.

Managed by sisters and part owners, Natasha and Elysia Vandenhurk, Canpressco is a family business. Growing up on the farm, with their father Dan, nurtured the sisters’ passion and drive to create natural, healthy, and delicious foods. Together, our founding team is guided by our commitment to always:

• Produce healthy, wholesome food with natural, quality ingredients
• Ensure our products are responsibly and sustainably grown and made in Canada
• Share the story of how our products are made
• Support the communities we belong to
• Connect customers to the farmers who growth their food

Canpressco is the founding company of camelina sativa oil in Canada. In 2010, Health Canada granted camelina oil Novel Food Status based on the two-year application, information, and research of Canpressco Products. Canpressco is a vertically integrated company. We take care of the growing, harvesting, and cold pressing of our camelina sativa oil. It is this fully integrated approach, that enables us to provide a high quality and transparent product. Every step in the production process is documented and available to our customers enabling our product to be traceable.

Canpressco Camelina Oil pressing facilities are CFIA Approved, HACCP and GSFI Audited ensuring the quality of our product and food safety.

There is no shortage of concerns about quality products, both in the minds of consumers and within the media.   Canpressco understands that our customers want to know how their products are made.   We want everyone to take a front row seat in the creation of their animal’s food and be able to reach us with the questions that they have about its production.

Canpressco is proud to say that every step in the creation of our products is done right at home on the prairies. We grow our camelina near a town called Midale, Saskatchewan. We also press and bottle the product in SK as well.

The following is the link to the program site that Health Canada has established for Low Risk Veterinary Health Products (which is what camelina oil is registered under).

If you go to the Labeling Requirements link, you will see the list that Health Canada has set out as MUST HAVES on every label. This is why the statement is included on the label. It is a required risk statement that Health Canada has stipulated for camelina oil as an LRVHP products.

Because camelina oil is naturally high in Omega-3 (and Omega-3 is shown to help thin blood, thus preventing heart attacks, heart disease, etc.) that this is why they decided on these two cautionary statements. And because there are no long term, documented studies of supplementing with this oil on pregnant mares or horses with bleeding disorders, in order to protect themselves, they put these generic statements.

60 ml per day is the recommended dosage for horses. You can feed 30 ml twice daily, or, if your horse has taken to the fresh flavor added to the feed, feeding 60 ml at once. For yearlings or younger horses, we suggest feeding 30 ml/day and increasing to 45 – 60 ml/day over time.

One pump is equal to 30 mls.

On occasion, we do have horses that will not try new things. If this happens, we suggest using a syringe to squirt the Camelina Oil into their mouth or mix it with apple sauce or molasses. Over time, horses usually become very fond of the taste of Camelina Oil.

It is important to understand the difference in Omega 3 values inherent in fresh grass versus hay.

Hay has less Omega 3 fatty acid and Vitamin E content. Supplementing your horse’s diet with Canpressco Camelina Oil is the best way to resolve that nutrient deficiency.

Here is a great article explaining the importance of Omega 3 supplementation, especially through the winter months.

Camelina is an ancient oilseed that originated in parts of Northern Europe and Central Asia. The seed was grown and pressed for use as a culinary oil throughout Europe up until the mid-1940s. It is a non-GMO oilseed with many nutritional benefits due to the high levels of Omega 3 and Vitamin E inherent in the oil.

Camelina sativa is the Latin name for the plant, and it is part of the brassica plant family. Other plants in this family are kale, cabbage, broccoli, and mustard.

Though camelina is highly polyunsaturated and rich in Omega-3, it remains stable due to its high levels of Vitamin E called gamma-tocopherols. These tocopherols act as an antioxidant in camelina oil extending its shelf life over and above any other expeller pressed oils. Camelina oil’s shelf life is 24 months from press date when stored appropriately. This extended shelf life guarantees freshness through the life of your product.

Light is very detrimental to cold-pressed oils so it is advised that camelina oil be stored in tinted or solid colored containers. In a cool dry place is best.

The product won’t freeze, but could thicken slightly at -35°C extreme temperatures.

Camelina oil is unique in that it provides the necessary balance of omega 3: omega 6 (2:1). Both nutrients have important functions within the body, and balancing the two is imperative in order for them to function properly. Because horses are herbivores and grazers, their bodies are naturally inclined to having a higher level of omega 3 compared to omega 6. However, due to the omega 6 found in the grain rations, this ratio is often thrown out of balance; hence the need for camelina oil supplementation.

Flax oil is known as the Omega-3 champion. However, flax is an unstable source of Omega-3 and has a limited shelf life. It does not withstand heat, must be refrigerated and many do not find that it has a favourable taste profile.

Hemp Oil is in fact actually higher in omega 6 than omega 3.  It is also less stable than camelina and is recommended to refrigerate the product after opening. There are more benefits in sourcing the hearts than the oil for your horses.

Canola Oil  contains very little omega 3’s. It is highest in omega 9 fatty acids and also high in omega 6’s.

Soybean or Corn Oil are most rich in omega 6 fatty acids.  Too much omega 6 is already consumed in a horse’s diet through feed.  In order to assist in balancing out the omega 3: omega 6 ratio it is best to supplement with high omega 3 oils.

Pumpkin Seed Oil carries very little, if any, omega3’s.  It is mostly known for its assistance in fighting worms and parasites. Pumpkin seeds offer high amounts of protein, iron, zinc and manganese. Some of these nutrients, such as iron, you would not want to over supplement as it hinders the utilization of other micronutrients in your horse’s body.

To mimic what would be found in pasture, the overall essential fatty acid content of the diet should contain more alpha-linolenic acid (omega 3) than linoleic acid (omega 6). Take the entire diet into consideration when balancing fatty acids. Consider getting creative with newer choices, such as camelina oil, for additional support.

Click to view our Nutritional Graph

Dietary Fats are an important part of a healthy diet. The body utilizes them for several purposes including:
• transporting oxygen through the bloodstream to all parts of the body
• cell membrane development and strengthening
• strengthening of organs, bones, and tissue, skin, and hair coat health
• decreasing joint pain in horses with arthritis
• assisting in preventing ulcers
• aiding in allergic hyperactivity
• anti-inflammatory effects

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are labelled “essential” because they cannot be synthesized or produced by the body. The two primary EFA’s are linoleic acid (LA which is synthesized into Omega 6) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA which is synthesized into Omega 3). Of these EFAs, ALA is what horses’ lack in a grain-based diet.

Omega-3 (ALA) and Omega-6 (LA) are two of the nutritional compounds that make up oils and fats. Both are necessary for healthy functioning and both must be sourced in the diet (the body cannot make them on their own). Omega-3 is an anti-inflammatory and helps fight inflammation and swelling. Omega-6 is an inflammatory and can aggravate inflammation and swelling, at times making it worse.

This article does a fabulous job of outlining the differences between oil supplements currently available on the market.

Bottom Line: If you are supplementing with an oil that is high in Omega-6 (LA) such as hemp, sunflower or pumpkin oil, it is essential that you balance that with a high Omega-3 (ALA) oil such as camelina oil or flax oil.

The conversion of mg of Vitamin E into IU/g of Vitamin E for camelina is approximately 30IU per 30ml dose. So in the scheme of things, it is not a huge supplement of Vitamin E but does help.

Here is a great article referencing the importance of Vitamin E in a horses and how much they require in their diet.

Though the Vitamin E in camelina oil only puts a small dent in the daily requirements, its true value comes from it’s ability to keep camelina oil stable and fresh to ensure the oil does not go rancid while supplementing your horse with it.

There are some oilseeds and berries that are considered to be phytoestrogens due to the lignan content of the oilseed, berry seed or whole berry. Lignans are phytoestrogens.

Camelina seeds do have lignans but the content is very small compared to other oilseeds and berries such as flaxseed, sesame seed, whole hemp seeds, cranberries, blackberries, etc. It is also good to note, the lignans are found in the whole seed or hull of the oilseed. When pressed, the lignans remain in the byproduct, the meal, rather than staying within the oil itself.

The following is a measure of some of the more common oilseeds and their lignan content measured in ug/100g:

Flax seed – 702,050

Sesame seed – 104,446

Whole hemp seed – 32,473

Camelina seed – 5,976

Sea buckthorn seed – 4225

A research article with further information about lignans in seeds can be found here.

There are no glucosinolates present in camelina oil. Glucosinolates are an antinutritional compound that are found in seeds (and meal) of brassica plants that are pressed for oil. So just as glucosinolates are found in canola seeds, they are also present in the camelina seed; however they are only present in the seed and the meal (press cake). When the oil is pressed, the glucosinolates are left in the by-product, the meal.

Camelina meal has, however, received FDA GRAS status, so may be used as a feed ingredient in both ruminant (beef cattle and goats) and monogastric (chicken and swine) feed rations. It is pending approval as an ingredient in dairy rations. This approval is a testament to the low levels of glucosinolates found in the seed/meal.