Is your “cod liver oil” from cod?

“The label said red snapper. The lab said baloney” was the title of a recent Consumer Reports expose on widespread fraud in the seafood industry. Because most consumers want what they pay for — and people with allergies may stake their lives on it — authenticity and sustainability have become major issues in the fish and seafood industries.  As a result, laboratories are coming up with ever more sophisticated methods to verify identity, expose adulteration and even pinpoint the habitat.

In the cod liver oil industry, fraud has been a problem at least since the mid nineteenth century. The real stuff (Gadus morhua) has become increasingly expensive due to scarcity and overfishing, and unscrupulous manufacturers often substitute cheaper oils.  As a result, many so-called “arctic cod liver oils” derive from other fish, and some are diluted with vegetable oil besides.

Fortunately, science is now able to “out” any products in which something is “fishy.” DNA technology can now accurately distinguish all common fish and seafood as well as most exotic species. Additionally, it can identify species of fresh, canned and frozen fish in ready-made products so long as they are present at levels greater than ten percent. Unfortunately, DNA procedures do not work well with oils.

But they do tell the truth about livers.

Curious about the Green Pasture brand Fermented Cod Liver Oil?  It’s a premium priced product and endorsed by many prominent health experts so it must be from cod, right?  Find out with my free special report Hook, Line and Stinker: The Truth about Fermented Cod Liver Oil.  To get yours, click here.