How to read an omega-3 supplement label

To compare omega-3 supplements, you need two things: the amount of DHA and EPA, and the portion those amounts refer to. A statement such as “1,000 mg fish oil” does not tell you how much DHA and EPA it contains. Start with the amounts table and check whether the figures are per capsule, per millilitre or per daily portion.

Fish oil, omega-3 and DHA+EPA are different amounts

Fish oil is the oil used in the product. Omega-3 is a group of fatty acids, including DHA and EPA. There are other omega-3 fatty acids too, such as ALA. A label may therefore state three different amounts: oil, total omega-3 and DHA+EPA.^[1]

The same distinction matters for algae oil and krill oil. The amount of oil is not automatically the amount of DHA+EPA.

Does the label list DHA and EPA separately, perhaps underneath “of which”? Those amounts are already part of the oil. Do not add them to the stated weight of oil. To calculate DHA+EPA, add only the stated amounts of DHA and EPA together.

Check which portion the figures refer to

Above the amounts table, you may see “per daily serving”, “per 2 capsules” or “per 5 ml”. That heading determines how to read every number underneath it. EU rules require the amounts of the substances that characterise a food supplement to be stated per daily portion recommended by the manufacturer.^[2]

You cannot directly compare figures for two capsules with figures for one capsule. Put both on the same basis first.

The same calculation works for other forms. If the table gives amounts per two gummies, divide by two to calculate the amount per gummy. If it gives amounts per 5 ml of oil, divide by five to calculate the amount per millilitre. This lets you compare amounts without mixing up different manufacturers’ suggested servings.

Check what a percentage refers to

A percentage is useful only when you know what it is a percentage of.

If the label explicitly states that the oil is 55% DHA+EPA, and the relevant portion contains 1,000 mg of oil, that gives 550 mg of DHA+EPA: 1,000 × 0.55.

But “55% omega-3” means something different. Without a further breakdown, you do not know how much of that omega-3 is DHA and EPA. Look for the individual amounts or an explicitly stated DHA+EPA total.

What if EPA is missing, or the label says “at least”?

If the table does not state an EPA amount, you cannot fill in zero without further information. An exact sum requires both amounts, or an explicitly stated DHA+EPA total.

If the label states only “DHA 250 mg”, then 250 mg is the known amount of DHA for that portion. That statement alone does not establish whether EPA is also present. Record what is known and what has not been stated.

Keep the meaning of “at least” too. “At least 500 mg DHA+EPA per capsule” states a minimum. It is not an exact declaration of 500 mg. Calculating a price from that minimum therefore gives an upper bound for the price per gram.

Read the ingredients list too

The amounts table highlights particular quantities. The ingredients list tells you which ingredients were used to make the product. Alongside the oil, it may include capsule-shell ingredients, flavourings and antioxidants.

Ingredients are generally listed in descending order of weight. That order does not replace the amounts table: it does not tell you how many milligrams of DHA and EPA a capsule contains.^[3]

Read the ingredients when the source matters to you. “Algae oil” describes the oil, but does not by itself identify what the capsule shell is made from. You need the information about the other ingredients too.

Allergens subject to mandatory declaration are made clearly distinguishable in the ingredients list, for example with bold type. That identifies ingredients in the product; it is not a measure of the oil’s tested purity.^[4]

Use the label to compare prices

Once you know the amount per capsule, you can calculate how much DHA+EPA the whole pack contains according to its label.

The fictional pack above contains 60 capsules, each with 550 mg of DHA+EPA:

60 × 550 mg = 33,000 mg = 33 grams of DHA+EPA.

If the pack costs €24.95, excluding delivery, the price is:

€24.95 ÷ 33 grams = approximately €0.76 per gram of DHA+EPA.

You can compare that price with another pack for which the same information is available. It tells you what you pay for the declared amount of DHA+EPA. The calculation does not establish laboratory results for the contents.

Keep composition groups separate as well. A combination with vitamin D or Q10 has a different composition from a product without those additions. Products containing only ALA cannot be compared on DHA+EPA.

What can’t the label establish?

Label values describe the declared composition. Under EU rules, the stated amounts are averages based on the manufacturer’s analysis of the product.^[2] The label alone does not establish which test results are available for your particular batch.

For that, you need an applicable test report. Check whether it identifies the correct product and batch, and whether the measurement concerns the ingredient oil or the finished supplement. Then check which substances or properties were actually examined.

A batch number helps you make that connection. A best-before date is not a test date. And if you cannot find a public report, that does not tell you whether testing took place.

Sources

Consulted on 31 October 2026.

1. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements — Omega-3 Fatty Acids, consumer fact sheet. Used for the distinction between omega-3 fatty acids, including DHA, EPA and ALA. ↩
2. Directive 2002/46/EC on food supplements, Articles 8 and 9. Used for daily portions and the nature of declared values. ↩ ↩
3. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Article 18. Used for the ingredients list. ↩
4. NVWA — Allergen labelling on food. Used for allergen declarations; source in Dutch. ↩