I admit my lack of knowledge on the topic, but I can quote this report: “High dependence on availability of sheep wool as the only source for commercial production act as another restraining factor which is likely to affect lanolin market price trends.”
(Lanolin is the sebaceous secretion from wool from which the vitamin is obtained)
According to this crude estimate, one sheep can support enough vitamin D for several thousand people. There are over a billion sheep, so if all wool went to vitamin D production, it would be enough for several trillion people.
The price of lanolin would likely soar, but that’s a small problem compared to the pandemic.
There’s likely some important constraints on scaling up the manufacturing process, maybe complicated by safety regulations which would be inappropriate for this context.
Something is likely to keep the number of people taking vitamin D well below a billion this winter, but my best guess is that it’s going to be lack of demand rather than major supply constraints.
I admit my lack of knowledge on the topic, but I can quote this report: “High dependence on availability of sheep wool as the only source for commercial production act as another restraining factor which is likely to affect lanolin market price trends.”
(Lanolin is the sebaceous secretion from wool from which the vitamin is obtained)
According to this crude estimate, one sheep can support enough vitamin D for several thousand people. There are over a billion sheep, so if all wool went to vitamin D production, it would be enough for several trillion people.
The price of lanolin would likely soar, but that’s a small problem compared to the pandemic.
There’s likely some important constraints on scaling up the manufacturing process, maybe complicated by safety regulations which would be inappropriate for this context.
Something is likely to keep the number of people taking vitamin D well below a billion this winter, but my best guess is that it’s going to be lack of demand rather than major supply constraints.