Best Cod Liver Oil 2026: Vitamin A/D Disclosure, Then the A Limit
Of the 4 cod liver oil products tracked here, only 1 discloses vitamin A to a number a reader can check against the 3000mcg RAE adult UL — Carlson Norwegian Cod Liver Oil, Lemon, 500mL, at 255mcg RAE (8.5% of the UL) per serving. 1 more product (Nordic Naturals) lists omega-3 but not vitamin A or D as numbers. The remaining 2 (NOW Foods) list neither as numbers, so a serving cannot be checked against the vitamin A limit.
Informational summary — not medical advice. This page ranks product value and label transparency; for background, see the hub. Preformed vitamin A above the upper limit can be harmful; ask a clinician before use if you are pregnant or planning pregnancy. This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Ranked by vitamin A disclosure first, proximity to the UL second, cost third — never commissions.
The one-line takeaway Carlson Norwegian Cod Liver Oil, Lemon, 500mL is the only tier here that discloses vitamin A AND vitamin D to a number, at 8.5% of the adult UL per teaspoon — the listing lets you check a serving against the vitamin A limit. A label that says only "excellent source of vitamins A and D" without a number does not let you check the vitamin A amount.
Every product compared: omega-3, vitamin A, vitamin D & cost
Sorted vitamin-A-disclosed products first (lowest % of the UL first), then the omega-3-only-disclosed product, then fully undisclosed last (cheapest cost/day). Check the Vitamin A column before the price, because vitamin A has an upper limit. Full data is a public CC BY JSON file.
| Product | Form | Omega-3 (EPA+DHA) | Vitamin A | % of UL | Vitamin D | $/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlson Norwegian Cod Liver Oil, Lemon, 500mL | Liquid | 1100 mg | 255 mcg RAE | 8.5% | 400 IU | $0.72 |
| Nordic Naturals Arctic Cod Liver Oil, Lemon, 180 Softgels | Softgel | 750 mg | Not disclosed | Not stated | Not disclosed | $0.47 |
| NOW Foods Cod Liver Oil, 650mg, 250 Softgels | Softgel | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not stated | Not disclosed | $0.06 |
| NOW Foods Cod Liver Oil Extra Strength, 1,000mg, 180 Softgels | Softgel | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not stated | Not disclosed | $0.08 |
Prices are Amazon buy-box figures from our last price check, July 19, 2026; they change. Cost/day = price ÷ servings per container. % of UL = disclosed vitamin A mcg RAE ÷ 3000mcg RAE (adult upper limit), null where vitamin A is not disclosed to a number. "Not disclosed" means the brand states a qualitative claim ("excellent source") without a checkable figure.
Why the lowest-priced products are not ranked first
NOW Foods Cod Liver Oil, 650mg, 250 Softgels and its sibling NOW Foods product have the lowest cost per day in this comparison. Both listings say only "excellent source of vitamins A and D-3" and do not state EPA+DHA mg or vitamin A/D amounts as numbers where we could find them. Because vitamin A has an upper limit, we rank products that state the number first, especially if you also take a daily multivitamin. Nordic Naturals states 750mg of total omega-3 per 2-softgel serving, but we did not find its vitamin A and D amounts.
Verification check · Cod Liver Oil
What we could and could not verify about Cod Liver Oil
Not one of the 4 Cod Liver Oil products we track appears in the NSF, USP or Informed Sport registries. A “cGMP” line audits the factory, not the Cod Liver Oil bottle you would actually receive.
Method: our Cod Liver Oil roster matched against the full public registries of third-party-certified supplements in the US, NSF/ANSI 173, USP Verified and Informed Sport, 5,317 listings, retrieved 2026-08-25. Absence means nobody independent has checked that Cod Liver Oil product, not that it failed. Full method and limitations.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best cod liver oil supplement?
Discloses vitamin A to a number first, then lowest % of the UL, then disclosed omega-3 and cost. Only 1 of 4 products here disclose vitamin A to a checkable figure.
Why does an undisclosed vitamin A number matter more here?
Vitamin A is this category's real safety constraint. Without a number, you can't check a serving against the 3000mcg RAE UL or account for multivitamin stacking.
Is the cheapest cod liver oil the best value?
Cost per day is only one factor. The lowest-priced products (NOW Foods) do not state EPA+DHA or vitamin A/D as numbers on the listing, so a serving cannot be checked against the vitamin A limit.
Related
- Cod liver oil: what it is & who it's for
- Cod liver oil dosage guide — the vitamin A stacking math
- Cod liver oil hub
- Cod liver oil vs. fish oil vs. vitamin D
Sources
- Manufacturer labels and live Amazon pricing for all listed products, verified July 19, 2026. Full dataset: /cod-liver-oil/cost-by-brand.json (CC BY 4.0).
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements — Vitamin A fact sheet (3000mcg RAE/day adult upper limit, preformed vitamin A).
- Rothman KJ, et al. "Teratogenicity of high vitamin A intake." N Engl J Med. 1995. PMID: 7477116