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).
Is it safe to have cod liver oil shipped during the middle of summer in Florida?
That’s a good question! I’m guessing it could probably gets to 115F or so max in one of those delivery trucks which is still not hot enough to destroy enzymes or probiotics, so it would be ok I think. Note that raw soaked almonds dried in a 150F oven still maintain rawness and liquids remain raw to 118F.
My husband and I added FCLO into our diets a few months back to get a good food source of vitamin A, and vitamin D. (I’ve been reading your articles a lot. Thank you:)) However, it did not agree with us. He experienced digestive issues which went away shortly after we stopped it. We went with the Dropi cod liver oil. But I’m confused about the dosage. WAPF states we should be taking 2 teaspoons of regular cod liver oil to give us about 10,000 iu of vitamin A, and at least 1,000 iu of vitamin D. The bottle of Dropi states to take only 1 teaspoon and no more. But that only gives us 3650 iu of vitmin A and only 360 iu of vitamin D. (Before CLO came into our lives, we each took about 2500-3000 iu’s of vitamin D). Also, I read in the WAPF Wise Traditions Magazine that if you take took much vitamin D, it can reduce your Vitamin A. (This is so confusing). Since you started Dropi how much do you take and do you add in extra vitamin D?
I take 1 tsp per day and never take extra vitamin D. Have for years … I see huge benefits from it. Dropi is high vitamin cod liver oil so max 1 tsp per day. When you get natural A/D in the right ratio, you don’t need such huge doses of D like people are taking (which have very negative side effects/long term health issues).
To ensure unparalleled purity, regular third-party testing ensures that every batch is free of toxins.
Regarding this statement from article…. the co. says they do not regularly test for heavy metals since there are no limits set. That they have done so in the past a few times but not regularly, which bums me out. I often think about lead and how it can enter into food supplies a variety of ways during manufacturing…such as lead paint on older fishing boats or catching lines used. supplement and food factories have metal detectors as a last step before final packaging.
Appreciate this article! Right now where we live we’re unable to make vit d from the sun, I’ve hear that taking cod liver oil with vit d3k2 helps with absorbing the d3…? Is this true?
There is no K2 in cod liver oil. You have to take an additional supplement with K2 in it along with the cod liver oil for the synergy you are referring to occur. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/which-vitamin-k2-supplement-is-best-mk-4-or-mk-7/
How do you feel it compares to Rosita? Thanks!
I’ve answered this question below … I’ve not tried Rosita.
Does this mean you have discontinued use of the Green Pasture’s brand for your family?
Yes … we stopped using Green Pastures when Dropi came out in 2016.
Do you know if this product can be shipped to an area that experiences temperatures of 110 degrees Fahrenheit? Will the product become rancid if it has to sit in a mailbox in that type of heat? Thanks for any information.
Yes, it would be a problem to let Dropi sit in a hot mailbox at 110F. Wait until it cools down to get it shipped to a PO Box so it is inside in an air conditioned post office.
Unfortunately, Radiant foods who sell this product do not store the product in a temperature controlled warehouse….I asked. And their warehouse is in CA , so I was concerned about high heat over long periods. I’m sure Amazon is no better from what I hear of their people having heat strokes. Dropi main distributor is in Maine, but what does that matter if the companies who store and sell product from there don’t take precautions. It’s too bad.
Ummm, the product is stored under temperature-controlled conditions and you didn’t even get the name of the company right and your email address is fake (I checked it), so it seems you might be a troll astroturfing for a competitive product?
You mention radiation concerns in Northern Pacific waters. For now, is wild-caught Alaskan salmon off your menu? Our Vital Choice supply is low and I’ve been undecided about replenishing. We’ve been warned off Atlantic salmon for years.
We eat wild salmon, but not very often.
Hi Sarah, how do you administer this to your children? I have a 1 year old and almost 3 year old. They can’t swallow capsules yet but I’m concerned the fish oil flavor will repulse them?
My kids are all high school or college aged now, so they like it best to swallow capsules. But, when they were little, here’s a video of how they took it 🙂 https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/video-cod-liver-oil-101/
How is this either different or the same as fermented cod oil?
If you take a look again in the article, I mention how it is different.