Fish Oil Labels: EPA and DHA per Serving vs Fish Oil Amount, Serving Size, TG vs EE Form and Third-Party Testing
A fish oil bottle usually shows one big number on the front, and it is easy to assume that number is the part you care about. Often it is not. The Supplement Facts panel can list fish oil, total omega-3s, EPA and DHA as separate lines, and the serving can be one soft gel, two soft gels or a teaspoon. This guide shows how to read those lines, using the two fish oils we carry as worked examples: Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega Lemon (90 soft gels) and Carlson The Very Finest Fish Oil (500 mL liquid). The main habits: find the serving size first, read EPA and DHA per serving, and check what each testing seal names.
How we wrote this: the label details come from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database records for Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega Lemon and Carlson The Very Finest Fish Oil, the Carlson product page, and a Vitacost listing that reproduces the Nordic Naturals label, viewed in October 2026. The labeling rule is FDA’s Supplement Facts regulation, 21 CFR 101.36. We describe what the labels and the rule say. We have not tested these products, the bottle in your hand may differ by size or flavor, and this is not medical advice.
Step 1: Start with the serving size
Every amount on a Supplement Facts panel is per serving, and FDA’s rule (21 CFR 101.36) says the serving is written in a term that fits the form, such as capsules or teaspoonfuls. Our two examples use different servings:
- Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega Lemon: 2 soft gels, with 45 servings in the 90 count bottle.
- Carlson The Very Finest Fish Oil: 1 teaspoon (5 mL), with 100 servings in the 500 mL bottle.
So when you compare a capsule to a liquid, or one brand to another, line up the numbers per serving and note how many capsules or teaspoons that serving takes. A front label number can describe two soft gels, not one. On the Nordic Naturals label, the 1280 mg is per 2 soft gels, which is 640 mg per soft gel by our math.
Step 2: The two panels side by side
Here are the main lines as recorded in the label database.
| Line | Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega Lemon (per 2 soft gels) | Carlson The Very Finest Fish Oil (per 1 tsp, 5 mL) |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 20 | 40 |
| Total Fat | 2 g | 4.5 g |
| Fish oil | no amount listed in the panel | Norwegian Fish Oil 4.6 g |
| Total omega-3s | 1280 mg | 1600 mg |
| EPA | 650 mg | 800 mg |
| DHA | 450 mg | 500 mg |
| EPA + DHA (our math) | 1,100 mg | 1,300 mg |
Each panel has more lines than these, such as cholesterol and vitamin E on the Carlson label. The table keeps to the lines this guide is about. For a panel built around vitamin D, see our vitamin D3 label guide.
Step 3: Fish oil amount vs omega-3 amount
Fish oil and omega-3s are not the same number. Fish oil is the whole oil. EPA and DHA are two of the fatty acids in it, and the oil also holds other fats. FDA’s rule treats ingredients with no Daily Value, such as fish oil, as “other dietary ingredients”: they are listed by name with an amount by weight per serving, and their parts may be indented underneath with their own amounts.
The Carlson label shows that layout clearly. It lists Norwegian Fish Oil 4.6 g, with Omega-3 Fatty Acids 1600 mg indented under it, and EPA 800 mg and DHA 500 mg under that. So about a third of the oil by weight is omega-3s, by our math from the label.
The Nordic Naturals panel takes the other common approach. It lists Total Omega-3 Fatty Acids 1280 mg with EPA and DHA beneath, and names the oil (“Deep Sea Fish Oil, Purified”) in the Other Ingredients list without a weight. Neither layout is wrong. The point for shopping: if a front label says “1,000 mg fish oil”, look in the panel for how much of that is EPA and DHA before comparing it with a bottle that leads with an omega-3 number.
Step 4: EPA and DHA per serving
When you compare fish oils, the lines most labels share are EPA and DHA in mg per serving. Total omega-3s can include other omega-3 fatty acids beyond EPA and DHA. On the Nordic Naturals label, EPA and DHA add up to 1,100 mg of the 1280 mg total, and on the Carlson label to 1,300 mg of the 1600 mg total, by our math. If a label gives only a total omega-3 figure and no EPA or DHA lines, you cannot work out those two amounts from the panel.
Supplement Facts panels for fish oil usually show no %DV for EPA or DHA, because FDA has not set Daily Values for them. Our guide on how to read a supplement label explains %DV and the rest of the panel format, so we will not repeat it here.
Step 5: Triglyceride vs ethyl ester form
Fish oil in a bottle comes in different chemical forms. A 2010 study abstract in Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids describes concentrated fish oil preparations made as ethyl esters, free fatty acids and re-esterified triglycerides, alongside natural fish body oil. In short: triglyceride (TG) is the form fats take in fish, ethyl ester (EE) is a processed form used in concentrates, and re-esterified triglyceride (rTG) is a concentrate turned back into triglyceride form.
We found nothing in 21 CFR 101.36 that requires the form on the label, so it shows up when a brand chooses to say it:
- Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega Lemon: the label, as shown on the Vitacost listing, says triglyceride form.
- Carlson The Very Finest Fish Oil: we did not find a form stated on the Carlson product page or in the label database record.
If the form matters to you and the label is silent, the brand’s customer service is the place to ask.
Step 6: Third-party testing wording
Testing seals on fish oil vary a lot in what they name. Here is what our two labels say:
- Nordic Naturals: the label carries “3rd party purity tested”, “IGEN Non-GMO tested” and “Friend of the Sea Certified sustainable”. The purity line does not name the lab or the program. The product is not in the NSF Certified for Sport listings; only Nordic Naturals’ separate Sport products are.
- Carlson: the label carries the IFOS (International Fish Oils Standards) seal and says the product is “regularly tested by independent FDA registered laboratories” and found “free of detrimental levels of mercury, cadmium, lead, PCBs and 28 other contaminants”. The Carlson product page describes IFOS as an independent certification program for purity, potency and freshness. Carlson is not in the NSF Certified for Sport listings.
A named program you can look up tells you more than a general “tested” line. For how the main programs differ and how to check a listing, see our third-party tested supplements guide.
Step 7: Other label lines worth a look
- Directions: Carlson’s page says adults take 1 teaspoon once or twice daily at mealtime, so the daily amount can be two servings. Nordic Naturals’ directions are two soft gels daily with food, per the Vitacost label copy.
- Storage: Carlson says to refrigerate after opening.
- Flavor and added ingredients: both are lemon flavored. The Nordic Naturals record lists natural flavors, rosemary extract and RRR-alpha tocopherol (a form of vitamin E); the Carlson record lists natural lemon flavor and natural mixed tocopherols.
- Origin: the Nordic Naturals label says the fish oil is processed in Norway; the Carlson panel names the oil as Norwegian Fish Oil.
Step 8: Cautions and allergens
Both products are made from fish, a major food allergen, and the Nordic Naturals soft gel shell is made from fish gelatin according to the retailer label copy. People with a fish allergy should not assume a purified oil is safe for them. If you take medicines, are pregnant or have a health condition, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before adding a fish oil. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
A quick fish oil label checklist
- Serving size: how many soft gels or teaspoons, and servings per container.
- EPA and DHA in mg per serving, read as separate lines.
- Fish oil amount vs omega-3 amount: which one is the front label number?
- Total omega-3s: how much of it is EPA plus DHA?
- Form: does the label say triglyceride, ethyl ester or re-esterified triglyceride, or nothing?
- Testing: does the seal name a program you can look up, such as IFOS or NSF?
- Directions: is the daily amount one serving or more?
- Storage, flavor and other ingredients, including the capsule shell.
FAQ
Is 1280 mg on Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega per soft gel?
No. The label lists 1280 mg total omega-3s per serving of 2 soft gels, which is 640 mg per soft gel by our math.
How much EPA and DHA is in a teaspoon of Carlson The Very Finest Fish Oil?
The label lists 800 mg EPA and 500 mg DHA per 1 teaspoon (5 mL), within 1600 mg total omega-3s from 4.6 g of fish oil.
Why does one label list fish oil grams and the other does not?
FDA’s Supplement Facts rule allows an ingredient like fish oil to be listed with its weight and its parts indented underneath, as Carlson does. Nordic Naturals lists the omega-3 amounts in the panel and names the oil in Other Ingredients instead.
Do fish oil labels have to say triglyceride or ethyl ester?
We found no such requirement in FDA’s Supplement Facts rule. Nordic Naturals’ label says triglyceride form; we did not find a form stated for the Carlson liquid.
What does IFOS on a fish oil label mean?
IFOS stands for International Fish Oils Standards. Carlson describes it as an independent certification program for purity, potency and freshness. Look up the program’s own listing to see what it covers.
Where to go next
See the product pages for Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega Lemon and Carlson The Very Finest Fish Oil, learn the Supplement Facts format in our supplement label guide, compare testing programs in our third-party tested supplements guide, or read another form-and-amount label in our magnesium label guide. For a fish-free option, our algae oil vs fish oil labels guide reads an algal oil panel next to these two.