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BioMar more than doubles vitamin D levels in its farmed salmon diets

Responsible Seafood Advocate

Company’s research showed benefits to the nutritional value for consumers

farmed salmon
BioMar has more than doubled the vitamin D levels in all farmed salmon feed diets, a move backed by new research showing benefits for both fish health and human nutrition. Photo by Eva Bronzini.

Aquafeed giant BioMar has more than doubled the vitamin D3 levels in all of its farmed salmon feed diets, a move backed by new research showing benefits for both fish health and human nutrition.

The change follows a 2019 decision by the European Union to raise the allowable vitamin D3 limit in salmonid feed from 2,500 to 60,000 IU per kilogram.

Research by BioMar found that higher levels of the vitamin led to a proportional increase in the salmon fillet’s nutritional content without affecting fish growth, feed intake or efficiency.

“Vitamin D is crucial for fish health, supporting bone development, calcium regulation and immune function,” said Pedro Gómez Requeni, senior R&D scientist at BioMar. “Our research confirms that feeds with optimized vitamin D3 levels enriched fillet vitamin D content while maintaining an optimal fish performance.”

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By adopting the higher permitted levels of vitamin D3, BioMar has integrated the change across all salmon diets, meaning farmers will now receive feed that supports optimal fish performance while also enhancing the nutritional profile of the final product. The shift is expected to help producers meet growing consumer demand for nutrient-rich foods and offer greater market differentiation for farmed salmon.

“Consumers are becoming more aware of the importance of vitamin D for their health,” said Simon Wadsworth, R&D director at BioMar. “By formulating feeds that naturally enrich fish fillets, we are helping farmers offer products with added value and supporting public health goals.”

The increased vitamin D3 levels in salmon fillets are expected to contribute to higher dietary intake among consumers, offering a potential nutritional benefit at a time when vitamin D insufficiency remains common in many populations.

“This is a practical formulation improvement with wide-reaching impact,” said Wadsworth. “It supports healthier fish, helps farmers differentiate their products, and offers consumers an improved nutritional profile.”

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