Has Rosita® Extra Virgin Cod Liver Oil been tested to ensure it is free from toxins?
European laws are now very stringent with regards to contamination of fish body and fish liver oils, and quite rightly so. Unfortunately, deception is a common occurrence and too many companies have been selling inferior oils which are detrimental to the health of adults and children.
We take testing very seriously and use a number of leading European Institutes to test our oils (Europe has very strict policies). Some of these include the Institute of Aquaculture, a leading internationally recognized aquaculture research institution based within the University of Stirling, Scotland (United Kingdom); and a number of independent Norwegian laboratories and institutions with great expertise in marine raw materials and products.
Rosita® oils have been tested for:
- Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) including pesticides (such as DDT).
- Industrial chemicals (such as polychlorinated biphenyls, PCBs) and unintentional by-products of industrial processes (such as dioxins and furans).
- Heavy metals and microbiological contamination.
The test results for our cod liver oil have consistently come back with extremely low levels of contaminants, and are fully compliant with stringent European Commission rules on environmental pollutants. The deep fjords of Northern Norway are some of the cleanest and purest ocean waters in the world.
Rosita® oils have also been analyzed by universities and government-linked research scientists, some of whom are involved in monitoring the quality of fish oils. In addition, our fish liver oils are currently used in scientific research at leading European universities.
Is there a certain certification, quality or control test Rosita® Extra Virgin Cod Liver Oil goes through to authenticate its claims?
We at Rosita® fully support quality control measures. We have been working hard to persuade the Norwegian authorities to implement stricter quality control guidelines.
Authenticity is also a major issue. For example, any company can say their product is made from cod livers, but may actually derive their oil from a mixture of fish species… and in some instances cod livers are never used! This has also been a major problem within the krill oil industry. Even more disturbing is the fact that 95% of all fish oil sold on the Norwegian market today comes from Chile and Peru, but is sold as “Norwegian” oils. The production of fish oil has led to serious environmental degradation and health problems along the coast of Peru. Emissions from fish oil factories go straight into the sea, destroying marine life. Emissions have also led to major health problems for the local people. We feel very strongly about deceitful practices and misleading advertising claims. And this is one of the factors that prompted us to create genuine Norwegian cod liver oil.
We have permission from the Norwegian government to market our wild and raw cod liver oil as genuine “Extra Virgin” simply because absolutely no heat, steam, chemical treatments or solvents are ever used during our gentle, natural process.
A world leading researcher on marine oils, Gjermund Vogt, recently said about Rosita® extra-virgin ratfish liver oils: “A positive impression of the oils is that they are Norwegian and they have qualities that no other oils have.” Professor Livar Frøyland, who is a member of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety (VKM), commented about the naturally occurring levels of vitamin D3 found in the extra virgin liver oils, saying it was absolutely fantastic. He also added that most other liver oils contain little, or no, natural vitamin D3 and added vitamin D2.
We are passionate about our genuine oils. That’s why we’re involved in every stage of cod liver oil production, from fishing and harvesting the wild codfish, to removing the livers, releasing and capturing the liver oil, and bottling the final product. We have complete control, from the sea to the consumer, which is the only way to ensure a superior quality and authentic product. This unique approach gives you added security and reassurance when you purchase the Rosita Real Foods® brand.