$280B Industry, page-7

The New Zealand Coastal Seafoods ling maw is an extremely premium product.

"A Chinese Beauty secret for thousands of years, Ling Maw has one of the highest Collagen contents of any food and is rich in proteins, nutrients and is cholesterol-free. The Ling Maw is organic, wild-caught and sourced exclusively from the pure, pristine waters which frame New Zealand. NZCS has developed a unique production process that involves cold-curing the product versus heating it. The production process achieves a water content of less than 4%, which ensures the product lasts longer and retains its flavour and composition for cooking. New Zealand’s industry-leading quote management system to support sustainable fishing which means only a small number of fish can be caught each year, making NZCS’s Ling Maw one of the best on the market."

Collagen is also gaining huge traction:

"Despite that dearth of proof, collagen supplements have long been a full-fledged craze not only in China, but across Asia. Japanese pharmacy shelves are lined with fruit-flavored shots and ampoules hawking make-you-pretty promises; you can even buy collagen-infused marshmallows and quaff a new beer marketed to women, called Precious, that contains two grams of the stuff. "In Japan, people are consuming an average of five grams of collagen a day, mostly through drinkables," says Whittel. "In China, where they have bone broth nearly every day, it's even more than that. But in the U.S., where we're eating skinless and boneless everything, our diets are virtually devoid of collagen. I think we're only beginning to understand the difference it makes."

"A little skin science 101: Collagen (the word is derived from the Greek kolla, which means "glue") is the most abundant protein in the human body. The main component of connective tissue, it cements cells together and gives skin its structure and elasticity. Collagen production begins to decline ata rate of about 1 percent a year in our mid-twenties and goes rapidly downhill in our forties and fifties, with the majority of women experiencing a 30 percent drop in the first few years post-menopause. (This is a natural process, but it's also aggravated by sun exposure: UV rays disable collagen-generating fibroblasts.) The effects we see in the mirror? Dryness, sagginess, dullness, and loss of plumpness."

T.E.P.