What are IFOS Fish Oils?

IFOS Fish Oils

Zone Labs Omega Rx is an IFOS Fish Oil

IFOS fish oils are ultra high-grade fish oil supplements that have been tested to meet very strict standards of purity and quality.

The IFOS stands for International Fish Oils Standards and its operated by an independent Canadian company called Nutrasource.

Nutrasource acts as a third-party laboratory that nutritional supplement companies hire to test and certify their products.

The IFOS currently certifies over 100 different brand names and tests 10’s of thousands of products.

Nutrasource is the only company in the world that tests individual lot numbers of fish oils so consumers can verify specific products.

Benefits of Choosing IFOS Fish Oils 

Fish oils are a popular nutritional supplement.  It is one of the best natural sources of the omega 3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

EPA and DHA have been shown in studies to help improve cardiovascular health and enhance mood.

One of the main issues with using nutritional supplements, such as fish oils, is the risk for poor quality and contamination.

Choosing to use an IFOS-certified fish oils will ensure that the product meets specific standards of purity, quality and omega 3 fatty acid concentrations.

Criteria Used for Testing

Any product that’s submitted for testing is subjected to a detailed analysis of its ingredients and the results are released in their 5 Star Ratings Reports.

This category is used to test ultra-refined, high-concentrated fish oils that contain a minimum 60 percent of combined eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

The tested product is given ‘5 Stars’ if it meets criteria in five specific areas:

Star 1 – Product Passes all CRN/WHO* Testing Categories

Star 2 – Product Tests show Minimum 60% EPA plus DHA combined concentration

Star 3 – Oxidation Level less than 75% of CRN Standard

Star 4 – PCB Levels less than 50% of CRN Standard

Star 5 – Dioxin and Furan Levels less than 50% of WHO Standard

*The CRN/WHO standards are set by the CRN (Council for Responsible Nutrition) and WHO (World Health Organization).

The 5 Star Rating is further classified as follows:

  • 5 Star – Exceptional Product Batch
  • 4 Star – Very Good Batch
  • 3 Star – Good Batch
  • 2 Star – Fair Batch
  • 1 Star – Poor Batch

This rating system allows consumers to instantly know the overall quality and purity of a specific brand of fish oil.

Updated List of Approved IFOS Fish Oils

While the list of companies that test their fish oils is constantly being updated, here’s a list of some of the companies that have IFOS-certified fish oil.

  • AM-BWell Omega-3 Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oils
  • EnerZona Omega-3 Rx
  • Health First Network Omega First
  • Biodroga Canada Inc. Sweet Mandarin Orange Fish Oil
  • Life Extension Super EPA/DHA
  • Nordic Naturals ProDHA
  • Nutravite Pharmaceuticals Inc. Fish Friends
  • Platinum Naturals Omega Pure Super 800
  • Rebound Omega Max
  • See Yourself Well Omega-3
  • Theralogiz TherOmega
  • Trilogy International Sealogix
  • Omegor Vitality
  • Vitoria Biosciences Omapure
  • Zone Labs OmegaRX
  • Zone Labs EicoPro
  • Zone Labs EicoRX

The IFOS site now allows you do to company/brand searches on their Product Reports page.

You should be aware that not all manufacturers will test every single batch in their inventory.  Also, a company is not obligated to publicly release the test results of any fish oils that receive 1 Star (Poor Batch) ratings.

You can find many International Fish Oil Standard Fish Oils at online retailers, as well as your local health food stores.


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