Carlson The Very Finest Fish Oil: what the IFOS report shows
Last reviewed July 2026.
This is what the paperwork behind The Very Finest Fish Oil, Natural Lemon (liquid), 500 ml actually says. The tested lot (0011224) carries an IFOS certificate — the public, per-lot consumer report, and the numbers below come from that report, not from the label.
Nutrasource's product page for The Very Finest Fish Oil, Lemon (CRLL0027) lists lots 0020226 (expiry 02/2029), 0011224 (12/2027) and 0070124 (01/2027). The 0020226 report did not open on 2026-10-03 (the file returned 404), so these figures are from lot 0011224, the newest report that did. The earlier lot 60049101 (expiry 01/2019) was replaced.
The tested numbers
- Measured EPA: 956 mg per teaspoon (5 ml) serving
- Measured DHA: 515 mg per teaspoon (5 ml) serving
- Combined EPA+DHA: 1471 mg per teaspoon (5 ml) serving — 113% of the 1300 mg label claim (over-delivers)
- TOTOX (freshness): 9.28 — acceptable (what TOTOX means)
- Heavy metals: every result marked IFOS-compliant in the tested lot (values below)
- Form: TG (triglyceride — the form found in fish)
- Lot expiry: 12/2027
Read the IFOS report for lot 0011224 yourself ↗ — that document, not this page, is the source of truth.
Freshness, contaminants and heavy metals, from lot 0011224
Every result as printed on the IFOS certificate, read 2026-10-04; “<” means below the lab's reporting limit. The limits are the certificate's own and the GOED Voluntary Monograph (version 9.1).
| Test | Result | IFOS limit | GOED limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peroxide value | 0.89 meq/kg | 5 meq/kg | 5 meq/kg |
| Anisidine value | 7.5 | 20 | — |
| TOTOX | 9.28 | 19.5 | — |
| Acid value | 0.26 mg KOH/g | 3 mg KOH/g | — |
| PCBs | 0.351 ppb | 45 ppb | 90 ppb |
| Dioxins and furans | 0.166 ppt | 1 ppt | 1.75 ppt WHO-TEQ |
| Dioxin-like PCBs | 0.00707 ppt | 1.5 ppt | 3 ppt WHO-TEQ |
| Mercury | <0.0121 ppm | 0.1 ppm | 0.1 ppm |
| Lead | <0.0064 ppm | 0.05 ppm | 0.05 ppm |
| Cadmium | <0.0016 ppm | 0.1 ppm | 0.1 ppm |
| Total arsenic | 0.0456 ppm | 0.1 ppm | 0.1 ppm (inorganic) |
No GOED limit is shown for anisidine or TOTOX: GOED's anisidine and TOTOX limits do not apply to flavoured oils such as this lemon-flavoured one, because the anisidine method is inaccurate for them (GOED Voluntary Monograph version 9.1, footnote 1).
Compared with the other fish oils: oxidation values by product · heavy metals by product
What a gram of it costs
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you — commission never changes a ranking or a verdict (how this site is funded).
At $56.66 for 100 servings (iherb.com, 2026-07-03, not Amazon's price; check it on Amazon ↗), this works out to $0.39 per gram of measured EPA+DHA — #6 of 12 tested products we track. The sticker price and the per-gram price rank very differently; the full ranking shows exactly what beats it.
FAQ
Is Carlson The Very Finest Fish Oil third-party tested?
Yes — lot 0011224 was tested under the IFOS program; the certificate is public and linked from this page.
How much EPA and DHA does Carlson The Very Finest Fish Oil contain per serving?
The tested batch measured 956 mg EPA and 515 mg DHA — 1471 mg combined EPA+DHA per teaspoon (5 ml) serving, 113% of the 1300 mg label claim.
What is the TOTOX of Carlson The Very Finest Fish Oil?
9.28, from lot 0011224's IFOS certificate (peroxide 0.89 meq/kg, anisidine 7.5), read 2026-10-04. IFOS's limit is 19.5 and GOED's is 26; GOED's anisidine and TOTOX limits do not apply to flavoured oils such as this lemon-flavoured one, because the anisidine method is inaccurate for them.
Does Carlson The Very Finest Fish Oil contain heavy metals?
Carlson The Very Finest Fish Oil, lot 0011224: mercury <0.0121 ppm, lead <0.0064 ppm, cadmium <0.0016 ppm, total arsenic 0.0456 ppm, each marked IFOS-compliant (certificate read 2026-10-04).
Related: Is Carlson third-party tested? · Carlson cost per gram & is it worth it
This page summarizes published third-party testing data and makes no health, benefit, or treatment claims. A certificate describes one tested batch, not a permanent grade.
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