Krill oil sector enjoys massive growth thanks to 'healthy aging' trend

WATCH: Johannes Pleschberger reports on the fish oil industry

The global market for nutritional supplements is booming. Aker Biomarine, a company that creates Omega 3 products from Antarctic krill, says it has become the world leader in krill fishing thanks to the growing consumption of health products in China.

"Healthy aging is a main theme on the agenda for the national health in China - and China will become our number one market within a couple of years," Aker Biomarine's Head of Human Health Ingredients Simon Seward told CGTN. "We're talking about 1.4 billion people - people that are getting healthier and are living longer."

The Norwegian supplement producer reported a year-to-year growth for China of 60 percent in 2024 compared to 2023.

"China is a really interesting and very dynamic market," Seward added. "What we see there is great development in e-commerce platforms for example. Influencers and different ways of reaching the consumer. Far different from where we are today in Europe or the U.S. for example."

Aker Biomarine wants to further boost its growth by reaching new customers at China's International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. This year is the perfect time to do that as for the first time ever Norway has its own national pavilion in Shanghai.

"The CIIE show is a tremendous show. It gets bigger and bigger every year. We meet and greet our customers there and also look for new ones," Seward said.

Most recently, Aker Biomarine sold its animal feed product line to a private equity group and is now fully focusing on krill oil supplements.

Krill may be just the size of a paperclip, but given its massive quantities, the crustacean is a vital ingredient for food supplements.

The global krill oil market is experiencing significant growth. And while humans benefit from a vast choice of healthy omega-3 products, scientists warn that the four-fold increase in krill fishing since 1990 is harming the marine ecosystem including krill-dependent whales which struggle to find enough food.

Krill is found in all of the world's oceans but is particularly abundant in Antarctica. Despite concerns about overfishing, there is still no international consensus on regulating Antarctic krill sourcing. Aker Biomarine says it is operating the world's most sustainable krill fishery.