Most people don’t realize it, but the majority of cod liver oil brands on the market today are not truly whole food supplements.
While the packaging and marketing vary from company to company, they are, sadly, all basically the same!
Believe it or not, only a handful of refiners are responsible for the myriad of brands on the shelf.
Heat is the cheap (and thus favored) method for oil extraction from fish livers. This high-temperature processing essentially destroys most of the nutritional content.
Manufacturers then sneakily add it back via synthetic vitamins but don’t indicate as much on the label!
For this reason, it is very important to only use unprocessed cod liver oil tested for purity. This ensures that the oil contains the natural forms of Vitamin A and D along with intact, undamaged omega-3 fatty acids.
So which brands are best? There aren’t many, unfortunately.
After vetting the few that are not heat-treated or solvent extracted, we chose Dropi raw, virgin cod liver oil for my family.
Let me tell you why we switched when Dropi came on the market a few years ago.
Dropi Cod Liver Oil
Dropi raw, virgin cod liver oil is a niche product that is produced in Iceland.
Due to the strictness of its production guidelines, it is sometimes available only a few months of the year. Varieties include both plain and flavored (licorice, mint, and ginger) liquid and capsules.
Let me explain the reasons why our family uses Dropi.
Sourced from Clean Waters and Third Party Tested
Many areas of the world’s oceans today contain worrisome levels of pollution. Sadly, this means that the area where you source your seafood is very important.
Being wild is no longer enough in most cases!
Dropi is sourced from the clean, cold waters stretching between Iceland and Greenland. It was the first completely unprocessed cod liver oil from this area as most come from the Pacific.
I personally have grave concerns about fish oils, tuna and other seafood from the Northern Pacific. I believe the safety of these foods is at issue due to the Fukushima disaster that occurred in Japan in 2011. What isn’t widely reported is that hundreds of tons of radioactive water have been released into the Pacific since then with discussions of further massive releases in the future…if they aren’t occurring already. (1)
There is no doubt in my mind that cod liver oil from the Atlantic is a safer choice. I realize others do not share my concerns, and that is certainly their choice!
I personally would not even take cod liver oil anymore if I couldn’t get it from an Atlantic or Southern Pacific source.
The special fishing grounds for Dropi cod liver oil are protected by an industrial-free zone which prevents pollution and contamination.
To ensure unparalleled purity, regular third-party testing ensures that every batch is free of toxins.
Raw and Unprocessed
Dropi cod liver oil comes from line-fished cod that are brought directly to an Icelandic facility onshore.
Here a cold-press, non-pressure treated technique extracts the cod liver oil immediately. This ensures the freshest, least fishy tasting product possible.
Because the oil releases from the cod livers quickly and at low temperatures, the final product remains both virgin and raw.
Trace amounts of rosemary and natural vitamin E are added to the liquid before bottling. These serve as natural antioxidants to maximize shelf life.
Our family seems to do better on this type of cod liver oil. The rawness ensures little to no burping issues for one thing! In addition, it is easily swallowed without burning/irritation in the throat that sometimes occurs from lactic acid and histamines in fish liver oils extracted via fermentation.
Sustainable
Iceland is the first nation to achieve true and complete sustainable fishing. A fishery management system is in place throughout the country to ensure responsible fishing techniques, with a focus on careful utilization of fish populations and superior treatment of the marine ecosystem.
To meet these standards, Dropi only uses cod livers from fish that have been sustainably procured by small fishing vessels.
All Dropi cod liver oils are produced in accordance with the Marine Stewardship Council’s global standard for sustainability (learn more at www.msc.org).
These standards are important to me, and I value products that are 100% traceable from fish to bottle.
Supply Issues/Where to Find
If you benefit from a truly raw, whole-food-based supplement like virgin cod liver oil, I encourage you to try some while it is available.
Dropi runs into supply issues almost every year due to its strict sustainability practices, so don’t wait until you need it, else you might find it unavailable.
There are two trustworthy places to source it. Radiant Life and Perfect Supplements (use coupon code HealthyHome10 to get 10% off).
Terry Broen
Hi Sara, what about the issue with plastic since it appears to be everywhere today? Is this oil tested for that?
Sarah Pope MGA
Yes, the plastic issue is very worrisome in seafood. Dropi is tested for purity from a wide variety of contaminants … whether it is specifically tested for microplastics, I am not sure. I will have to check into that.
kt
Thank you for the great article! In years past I have used the Blue Pastures butter blend for A, D and k2- now switching to this brand, do you have any suggestions on how to get ample vit k2 as well?
Sarah Pope MGA
Here’s a comparison of some of the options out there. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/which-vitamin-k2-supplement-is-best-mk-4-or-mk-7/
Marco
Hi Sarah, thanks for all the hard work you do! I really do appreciate it!
Marco
Susan
I will definitely have to check the product out! I have been trying to do as much research as possible for fish oil but maybe I should be using cod oil instead.
Yvonne
Appreciate this review! Have been using this product since it came out and your review validates my decision. Also appreciate the discount offer! Thank you, Sarah!
Suzanmd
No green pastures COD liver oil anymore? I still used it after the Dr Kayla Daniel debate…. I actually still use GP (Holland)
Sarah Pope MGA
I haven’t used Green Pastures since Dropi came out in 2016. I’ve mentioned this before in other posts on a number of occasions.
DIANE CAROTHERS
I was wondering about your opinion of Dropi vs Rosita…
Sarah Pope MGA
I’ve never tried Rosita, but others have told me that it makes them burp a lot.
Brandi
You used to like Blue ice fermented cod and skate liver oils. What made you switch yo dropi and how is it better?
Sarah Pope MGA
I explained in the post above why I switched if you take a look again. I switched to Dropi in 2016 immediately when it was released. Was waiting for a good quality brand sourced from the Atlantic for a very long time.
Ron
The ‘Show more comments” button, on this page, isn’t working.
Sarah Pope MGA
It’s not working because there aren’t any more comments to show, but you’re right, it shouldn’t say that if there aren’t more comments. This is on my developer’s list to fix. Thanks 🙂
Johanne
Thank you for another good article. I have your site bookmarked in my browser and look at it almost daily! For my family I buy the Nutra Pro Cod Liver Oil. It is cheaper than Dropi and I can’t find any difference! What is your opinion about this brand?
Sarah Pope MGA
I haven’t looked into this brand in-depth, but at first glance, there is quite a bit of difference than Dropi in the Vitamin A and D content even after adjusting for the serving size difference on the label (Dropi serving size is 1 tsp, Nutrapro is 1/2 tsp). Not sure why that is, would have to look into it more closely.