The thesis deals with beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and their beneficial effects on health. Characteristics, properties and appearance of omega-3 fatty acids may explain some of the mechanisms of their effects on human health manifested not only in the treatment and mitigation of some non-infectious diseases of mass occurrence, but especially in the area of preventive action. Theoretic information used in the first part of this work was obtained from scientific and professional publications and periodicals searched in domestic and international databases of scientific and specialist literature. The part of data collection and analysis compares the intake of omega-3 acids in the form of fish dishes prepared for children in the first half of elementary school, aged 7 to 10 years, in randomly selected school canteens or contracted catering in the European Union with the recommendations of Decree 107/2005 Sb. Ministry of Education.