Expert Tips

What does it mean if a fish oil is IFOS tested and why does it matter?

You wouldn’t rush to see a movie awarded one-star by the critics. You’d think twice about eating in a restaurant with only a two-star hygiene rating. And you probably wouldn’t book the hotel with all the one-star TripAdvisor reviews, no matter how glitzy it looked in the brochure.

Ratings matter in all areas of our consumer life. But when it comes to fish oils, third-party testing by an independent body is essential. Otherwise all you’d have to go on is the manufacturer’s marketing hype. And let’s face it, they’re all going to claim their product is pure, fresh and bursting with omega-3.

According to nutritionist Melanie Brown, “searching for the best and purest fish oil in a crowded market can be a bewildering process. So checking the International Fish Oil Standards (IFOS) website for one with a 5-star rating ensures it’s free from contaminants and of maximum purity, as well as containing a high concentration of the valuable long chain omega-3 fatty acids”.

Here at Bare Biology we’re extremely proud of our five-star IFOS rating because when it comes to fish oils, it’s the highest possible accolade. But who are IFOS? What do they test? And what does an IFOS five-star rating actually mean when it comes to the important stuff — the amount of omega-3 you’re getting in every dose?

Read on for an in-depth look at the independent testing of fish oils and discover how the IFOS rating is the only way of really knowing what’s in your bottle.

What is IFOS?

IFOS stands for International Fish Oil Standards and it’s the only third-party testing and certification program for fish oils. The IFOS program is delivered by NutraSource Diagnostics, a research organisation at the University of Guelph in Canada.

IFOS are independent because they don’t manufacture or market fish oil themselves and they don’t endorse any brands either. They simply test each oil by batch and publish the results on their website. And unlike other testing companies like ConsumerLab, the results are open to the public for free.

“The best way to know you’re taking a high-quality fish oil supplement is to check the International Fish Oil Standards (IFOS) website. A five-star rating ensures the fish oil contains a high concentration of omega-3 fats and the absolute lowest levels of oxidation and harmful contaminants.”

Nutritionist Kim Pearson

Why is an IFOS rating so important?

IFOS is well-respected for its high standards, full disclosure and transparency. Rigorous and thorough, they have even stricter standards than those set by the government and other organisations. In fact they set the world’s highest standards for purity, potency and freshness.

An IFOS rating means that when a manufacturer claims its fish oil is pure, you don’t need to take their word for it, because the organisation who set the bar can prove it to you.

Being truthful about the quality of fish oils is just as important as any other product you consume. When a fish oil is IFOS certified it shows you the product has met their high standards. This means you, the customer, can be certain of the safety and quality of the fish oils you and your family are taking.

IFOS tests for strength

If you want your fish oil supplement to have a real benefit it needs to contain decent amounts of EPA and DHA. This isn’t always easy to find out as many supplements bury this information in the small print of their labels or websites.

Our clinical strength Life & Soul Omega 3 fish oil contains 3,500mg of omega-3 (2,000mg of EPA, 1,000mg of DHA and 500mg of other omega-3s) in every teaspoon, while a daily dose of two Life & Soul Omega 3 capsules contains 1,460mg of omega-3 (860mg of EPA and 440mg of DHA).

We’re proud of our high-strength omega-3 fish oil and totally transparent about the level of active ingredients it contains. But our IFOS report means you don’t just have to take our word for it. IFOS is the only program that tests fish oil products by batch to make sure that they contain the amount of active ingredients stated on the label.

IFOS tests for freshness

If you’ve taken a fish oil supplement that tastes fishy and spent the rest of the day burping it up, this is a sure sign that it has oxidised and turned rancid. Not only does rancid fish oil taste unpleasant it can also be harmful. Oxidation changes the chemical structure of EPA and DHA and can potentially turn them into pro-inflammatory free radicals.

At Bare Biology, when we take delivery of our pristine fish oil, the peroxide value is incredibly low, at 0.4 meq/kg. It’s so fresh, it literally doesn’t smell of anything other than a mild scent of the sea. IFOS is the only program that tests fish oil products by batch to ensure they are stable and fresh for consumption.

How to read an IFOS report

When you look at an IFOS report you know exactly what’s in your batch of fish oil. Each report has a level of detail that you simply will not find anywhere else. If yours is a five-star-rated oil you know you’re getting a really good product.

For a fish oil to get all five stars it has to pass all of the IFOS testing categories:

• Meet the label claim for active ingredient concentration
• Have an oxidation level less than 75% of CRN standard
• Have PCB levels at less than 50% of CRN standard
• Contain dioxin levels that are less than 50% of WHO standard

All our products are pure, fresh and strong. But there’s no need to just take our word for it. You can read the results on our product pages.

So why is an IFOS rating so important?

For manufacturers it’s a big deal to pass an IFOS test with flying colours. Brands that get their fish oil tested at IFOS have to pay extra to publish the findings, so if the results aren’t good, they just won’t tell you about them.

This really helps you as a consumer to pick the brands of fish oil that are both confident and transparent about their products. You can be sure that any company that has its products tested at IFOS are both picky about quality and happy to be completely honest about the results.

Bare Biology was the first British brand to be certified by IFOS and we like to think we set the benchmark for high-quality fish oils in the UK.

All our products are pure, fresh and strong. But there’s no need to just take our word for it.