Tests of fish, algal and krill oil supplements revealed quality problems with 7 out of 24 products selected by ConsumerLab.com, White Plains, NY.

Three products contained less of the omega 3 fatty acids EPA and/or DHA than claimed, spoilage was detected in one of these products as well as in two others (including a children’s supplement), an enteric-coated product released its ingredients too early, and a supplement for pets exceeded the contamination limit for PCBs.

Seventeen other products passed testing, as did 15 products similarly tested through ConsumerLab.com’s voluntary certification program.

ConsumerLab.com reported these additional, notable findings:

• Labels on some products included terms such as “pharmaceutical grade” and “tested in FDA approved laboratories.”

• A krill oil supplement that failed for both spoilage and low omega 3 levels claimed to be quality assured under GMPs (good manufacturing practices). Another “krill oil” supplement contained more fish oil than krill oil.

• Most products met ConsumerLab.com’s strict contamination limit for dioxin-like PCBs of 3 picograms per gram (3 parts per trillion). However, one product (a pet supplement) slightly exceeded this limit with 3.14 picograms per gram. However, this exposure is still very small compared to that from fish meat—a small serving (3 ounces) of fatty fish such as salmon may provide 170 picograms of dl-PCBs as well as a significant amount of mercury. Trace amounts of dl-PCBs were found in all supplements, despite claims on some of being free of contaminants. There was no detectable mercury in any of the supplements.

• The cost to obtain 100 mg of EPA and/or DHA from fish oil ranged from about 1 cent to 15 cents among fish oil supplements, and was about 30 cents from krill or algae oils. A fairly standard daily dose of 500 mg of EPA + DHA from a quality-approved product could be had for as little as 6 cents. Higher prices were not associated with higher quality.

• Concentrations of EPA and DHA ranged from less than 20% to more than 80% of the marine oil content listed on front labels

“Supplements providing EPA and/or DHA are a great alternative to fish as a source of beneficial omega 3 fatty acids, as they typically have far fewer contaminants, cost less and are more convenient to obtain.” said Tod Cooperman, M.D., ConsumerLab.com’s president. “But products vary in quality, strength, odor-reduction and price, so you need to choose carefully.”

U.S. sales of fish oil supplements in 2009 were $976 million, up 20% from the prior year, according to Nutrition Business Journal.