The science weekly team are away on their summer holidays, so we've picked a few of our favorite episodes from the year so far to revisit. We're going back to a story on fish oil supplements - these are hugely popular, but as this episode revealed, we may not be getting what we bargained for when we take these pills. Four million tons of peruvian anchevetes, a type of anchovy, are caught every year to feed pigs, poultry, farmed fish and to create lements for us. Unsurprisingly, this is often done in a way that's damaging to people and the environment.
They may be one of the world’s favourite supplements but, according to a study from earlier this year, more than one in 10 fish oil capsules are rancid. Most of the oil comes from Peruvian anchovetas, a type of anchovy that is also used to feed pigs, poultry and farmed fish. And despite catching more than 4m tonnes a year of anchovetas to cater to the global demand, large industry players want to scale this up even further. In this episode from January 2022, Madeleine Finlay speaks to environment journalist Richa Syal about why so many fish oil pills are rancid, and hears from journalist Dan Collyns in Chimbote, Peru, about how the industry is affecting the local environment and its residents. Help support our independent journalism at
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