The Medical Wellness Association (MWA), in its mission to improve wellness of the World’s consumers, has declared 2026 as “The Year of the Sardine”. The aim is to educate and inspire consumers across the globe on the wellness benefits of eating real, nutritionally dense foods–with sardines being one of the optimal and most affordable choices available.
“Given the consistent worsening of wellness metrics across most of the developed world, it is clear the wellness community needs to course-correct its recommendations to the public. Metabolic Health is rapidly being revealed in research as an underlying key to wellness, from preventing classic metabolic diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver, to cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, and even kidney and liver dysfunction”, says Dr. Christopher Breuleux, President of the USA based MWA.
According to MWA Board Member and Faculty Member, James Michael Laffety, “sardines represent one of the stronger options to combat metabolic disease. By consisting of proteins and Omega 3 fats and loaded with a high density of essential vitamins and minerals; coupled with being one of the most cost-effective proteins available, it really is a ‘superfood’. We believe declaring 2026 as the year of the sardine, is a simple and clear call to action consumers can easily act upon.”
He added that sardines have been garnering heavy press recently, with leading physicians and wellness gurus from around the world promoting concepts such as “the 3 day sardine fast” across social media from Instagram to X. Sardines have been featured on globally leading podcasts, and as the world shifts its focus to metabolic health, it would seem this trend will only increase.
“Globally, in recent years the sardines’ market has increased at an annual rate of +7.5%, pre-dating the increased focus on metabolic health. The MWA forecasts annual growth to become double-digit, or 10%+ from 2026 onward, given increased education and awareness, and the recent changes to the US Food Pyramid as deployed last week. And this is a good harbinger for improved wellness across the world,” shared Mr. Lafferty.
Because of the health and wellness benefits, MWA has been active at reviewing the sardine category for several years. In mid-2025, after a review of sardine brands, they awarded the prestigious “Superfood” seal to Mega Sardines, a Filipino brand, based on the purity of their fishing waters in the South Pacific, coupled with Mega’s unique “Catch to can in 12 hours” vertically integrated production process, which ensures unsurpassed freshness for a canned sardine.
Mega Prime Foods, Inc. is a 50-year-old company that embraces the Filipino concept of “Malasakit”, which means “Giving to society without any expectation of payment in return”. As the company has embraced this philosophy and has seized on the MWA seal to drive the category, they have emerged as the leader driving knowledge, education, and awareness across the globe.
The company is actively developing a battery of clinical studies, underwritten by major universities, to expand the range of knowledge on food choices and impact on metabolic health. Ms. Michelle Tiu Lim Chan, CEO of Mega Prime Foods, sums it up best: “It all starts with our cultural value of Malasakit, and we are proud to be serving consumers in the Philippines and around the globe, high quality and high value foods that improve their health. We see the “Superfood” seal from the MWA, and being the sole brand in the world to earn this, as the culmination of our commitment to our consumers for the past 50 years. My father and mother started this mission, and it is my honor to continue it for another 50 years and beyond.”
