Kellogg Co. to fortify products with omega-3 fatty acid.

Byline: Tricia Bishop

Feb. 27--The Kellogg brothers were always ahead of the pack when it came to nutrition.

A century ago, John Harvey Kellogg was a staunch vegetarian who ran a health-food sanitarium in Battle Creek, Mich. His regimen was parodied in a book and a 1994 movie, "The Road to Wellville," which starred Anthony Hopkins as Kellogg. John's younger brother, Will Keith, founded the company bearing their name and in the 1930s was the first to introduce a cereal fortified with extra vitamins and minerals, called "Pep." Their beliefs may have been affirmed by the fact each brother lived to the age of 91.

But even they might not know what to make of this: As soon as next year, Kellogg Co. -- still based in Battle Creek -- will begin adding an omega-3 fatty acid typically found in fish to its goods: Perhaps Pop Tarts or maybe even the venerable corn flake.

The company wouldn't say. But it and the Columbia-based producer of the substance hope the reputed "brain food" does for breakfast products what it has done in recent years for baby formula.

Tinkering with food to make it more healthy has a long history in the United States, beginning as a way to fight disease at the time of the Great Depression. But recent strides in bioscience and an increasingly health conscious market of aging baby boomers has fostered some surprising pairings from companies seeking an edge on crowded grocery shelves. Companies have begun to more aggressively label their products with whatever claim they can to ride the food fad of the moment.

Fortified foods are expected to draw $33 billion in…