The global supplements industry is massive—worth over USD 200 billion in 2025 and heading toward USD 400 billion by 2034, with strong growth in omega-3, vitamin D, calcium, zinc, and collagen products. Academic research increasingly shows that the side streams left after fish filleting—bones, skin, heads—are exceptionally rich in nutrients that people often take as supplements, including calcium, zinc, collagen, and iron, at levels many times higher than in fillets. In Australia, supplements like vitamins and fish oil are regulated as therapeutic goods, but the regulatory oversight is lighter for most products compared to prescription medicines, and listed supplements are not individually evaluated for efficacy before entering the market.
Supplements Market Overview
- The global dietary supplements market was valued at roughly USD 203 billion in 2025, projected to reach about USD 402 billion by 2034, expanding at 7–8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR).
- Omega-3, vitamin D, calcium, zinc, and collagen are among the fastest-growing segments.
Nutrition from Fish Side Streams
Academic studies find fish processing side streams (bones, skin, heads, viscera) offer concentrated nutrients. While exact “20× more calcium” or “10× more zinc” figures are often cited in product marketing, peer-reviewed literature confirms:
- Side streams can have up to 20 times the calcium of fillets (from bones and frames).
- Zinc concentrations are substantially higher, often up to 10 times those found in fillet tissue.
- Collagen (mainly from skin and scales) is up to 5 times more abundant than in fillets.
- Iron content in side streams may be double or higher compared to fillets, especially in blood-rich tissues and skin.
For example, a recent review (“Valorisation of Fish Side Stream,” 2025) highlights that side streams offer high-quality nutrition: significantly more essential minerals (Ca, Zn, Fe) and collagen than fillets alone allowing for much greater nutrient recovery if the whole fish is used.
Supplement Regulation in Australia
- In Australia, most supplements are regulated as 'complementary medicines' by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
- Most products are “listed,” not “registered.” Listed medicines undergo no pre-market efficacy evaluation (manufacturers self-certify compliance), while only higher-risk products receive full pre-market assessment.
- As a result, many supplements are on the market without robust independent proof of benefit.
- If you take supplements, do you ever query – where is this from? Is it sustainable? Am I being ripped off?
People talk of ‘cost of living’ pressures and eliminating supplements and increasing nutrition through buying a whole fish could be a great way of saving costs.
Next time you think about buying supplements just ask yourself – is this the best use of my money. If you have not been prescribed supplements by your doctor, then seriously question whether you should be buying them at all and save your money to buy nutritious food like fish/seafood. If nothing else, you owe it to yourself to give it a trial.
Are supplement companies’ SMEs that care about you? Do you need to put more in their pockets?
Be sure to tell us how you go….
