Foods High in Vitamin B12: UK Portions and Vegetarian Sources

The foods highest in vitamin B12 are liver (83 micrograms per 100 g of fried lamb's liver), cockles (47), crab brown meat (22), mussels (19 raw, 11 cooked), herring and tinned sardines (15), kippers (11) and mackerel (9), then beef and lamb (2 to 3 micrograms per 100 g cooked), eggs (1 microgram each), milk (1.8 micrograms a 200 ml glass) and Cheddar (0.7 in 30 g); the plant-based sources are foods with B12 added, fortified breakfast cereals, fortified soya drinks and yeast extract.¹ Adults need about 1.5 micrograms a day, and the NHS lists meat, fish, milk, cheese, eggs and some fortified breakfast cereals as the sources.² No fruit, vegetable, grain, nut or pulse contains it; dried nori seaweed is the one plant food that measures high, and even its champions describe it as the most suitable plant source rather than a replacement for fortified foods.^{1, 3} Every figure is from the UK government's CoFID 2021 food tables, per UK portion. For what B12 does, see what vitamin B12 is good for; for the units, the vitamins and minerals guide.

Evidence at a glance

• Food figures: CoFID 2021, per 100 g, converted to UK portions here.¹
• Source matters: in 2,999 adults in the Framingham Offspring study, eating fortified cereal more than four times a week or being in the top third for dairy halved the share with low plasma B12; meat intake made no difference.⁴
• Vegans: a 2024 meta-analysis of 17 studies found lower serum B12 and higher homocysteine than in omnivores; vegans taking a B12 supplement did better on every marker.⁵
• Absorption: the stomach's carrier saturates at roughly 1.5 to 2 micrograms a meal; about 1% of larger doses crosses passively.⁶

Sources checked on 29 October 2026.

Which foods are highest in vitamin B12 per UK portion?

Percentages are of the 1.5 microgram adult reference intake.^{1, 2}

Pork sits at 0.4 to 1 microgram per 100 g, turkey at 1 to 2, duck at 3, and plain yoghurt at 0.2 to 0.3 per 100 g, so a 150 g pot gives under 0.5.¹ The percentages above 1,000% are not a bonus; the body cannot take them up in one sitting.

Which food is highest in B12, and why regular beats occasional?

Liver, by a distance: 83 micrograms in 100 g of fried lamb's liver and 110 in raw ox liver, more than a month's reference intake on one plate.¹ Most of it is lost, because absorption runs through intrinsic factor, a protein made in the stomach lining, and that system saturates at roughly 1.5 to 2 micrograms a meal; beyond it only about 1% of a dose crosses the gut wall by passive diffusion.⁶ The population data say the same thing from the other side. Among 2,999 adults in the Framingham Offspring study, 20% of non-supplement users had plasma B12 below 185 pmol/L; people eating fortified cereal more than four times a week halved that (12% against 23% in non-eaters), the top third for dairy intake did likewise (13% against 24%), and meat intake showed no difference, with the authors noting the association was steepest for dairy and weakest for meat.⁴ A glass of milk, an egg or a bowl of fortified cereal most days does more for your level than liver once a fortnight, and liver is not advised in pregnancy because of its vitamin A.²

Is there B12 in fruit, vegetables or seaweed?

Fruit, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds and pulses contain none: B12 is made by bacteria and accumulates in animal tissue, and the UK tables record zero for soya beans, tofu and every mushroom listed.¹ Tempeh registers 0.1 micrograms per 100 g. Seaweed is the genuine exception, with a caveat. CoFID gives dried nori 27.5 micrograms per 100 g, and a Japanese survey of plant foods concluded that dried purple laver (nori) is the most suitable plant-derived B12 source available to vegetarians; kombu and wakame hold under 3.^{1, 3} A sheet of nori weighs about 3 g, so one sheet carries under 1 microgram, the amount in food varies, and no UK guidance treats seaweed as a dependable source; it is a contribution, not a plan. Our pages on whether mushrooms are good for you and whether mushroom supplements work cover what mushrooms do offer.

Vegetarian sources of B12

Eggs and dairy carry it: two eggs (2.0 micrograms), a 200 ml glass of milk (1.8) and 30 g of Cheddar (0.7) come to 4.5 micrograms, three times the UK reference intake and above the 4 micrograms a day European adequate intake.^{1, 2, 7} The watch-points are vegetarians who eat little dairy, adults over 65, and people on metformin or long-term acid-suppressing medicines, all of whom absorb food B12 less well; the NHS lists metformin and proton pump inhibitors among the causes of deficiency.⁸ For them a fortified food daily or a modest supplement closes the gap. B12 for women covers pregnancy and breastfeeding, where the need rises to 2.0 micrograms.

Vegan sources of B12

Fortified foods or a supplement, every day or near it. The NHS vegan diet page says sources for vegans are limited and a supplement may be needed, and lists fortified breakfast cereals, fortified unsweetened soya drinks and fortified yeast extract or nutritional yeast flakes as the foods to use.⁹ The trial-grade evidence for taking this seriously is a 2024 systematic review: across 17 studies, vegans had lower serum B12 and higher homocysteine than omnivores, and vegans who took a B12 supplement had significantly better results on every biomarker than those who did not.⁵ From the table, a 30 g bowl of fortified cereal (up to 1.0 micrograms), 200 ml of fortified soya drink (0.8) and yeast extract on toast (0.6) reach about 2.4 micrograms, which depends on reading three labels every day. A single-nutrient B12 supplement is the simpler route; vitamin B12 contributes to normal red blood cell formation, to normal function of the nervous system and to reduction of tiredness and fatigue, and supplements of 2 mg or less a day are unlikely to cause harm.² Vegan protein sources covers the other nutrient vegans are asked about.

What drink is high in B12?

Milk: 0.9 micrograms per 100 ml, so a 200 ml glass covers the day; UHT milk is lower at 0.2 to 0.6.¹ Fortified soya drinks carry 0.4 per 100 ml, milky cocoa 0.7 to 1.0, and fruit juice, tea, coffee and water none.

How do you raise B12 from food?

Spread it across the day rather than loading one meal, because of the absorption ceiling: an egg or milk at breakfast, fish, meat or cheese later, yoghurt or fortified cereal in between; for vegans, a fortified food at each meal.⁶ If you absorb poorly, because of age, metformin, acid suppressants, pernicious anaemia or gut surgery, food will not fix it however much you eat; the NHS lists these as causes, and which is better, B12 or B complex explains why a higher-dose supplement is the route.⁸ The signs of B12 deficiency covers when to ask for a test.

What we don't know

• How much of the B12 in nori is active in people. The tables measure it; absorption studies in vegetarians eating it are few.³
• Whether UK fortification levels suffice for vegans eating no other fortified food. A soya drink alone gives about half the reference intake per glass.¹
• The right daily target. The UK figure is 1.5 micrograms, the European adequate intake 4; the gap reflects different markers, not new trials.^{2, 7}

Frequently asked questions

Which foods are the richest in vitamin B12?

Liver, cockles, crab, herring, tinned sardines, mussels and mackerel, then beef, lamb, eggs, milk and cheese.¹

Which fruit is rich in vitamin B12?

None. No fruit, vegetable, grain, nut or pulse contains vitamin B12; dried nori seaweed is the one plant food that measures high.^{1, 3}

Are 2 eggs enough for B12?

Two medium boiled eggs supply about 2.0 micrograms, over the 1.5 microgram daily need, if you absorb normally.^{1, 2}

Which cereal is best for B12 in the UK?

The fortified malted flake, bran flake and crisp rice types list 1.8 to 3.4 micrograms per 100 g, so 0.5 to 1.0 a 30 g bowl; unfortified cereals carry none, so the label decides.¹

What foods should I avoid with a B12 deficiency?

None. Eat B12 foods regularly and treat the deficiency as your GP advises; the cause, often absorption rather than diet, decides the treatment.⁸

Sources

1. Public Health England. McCance and Widdowson's Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset (CoFID), 2021 release, table 1.5 Vitamins, vitamin B12 per 100 g. gov.uk.
2. NHS. Vitamins and minerals: B vitamins and folic acid. Page reviewed 3 August 2020. nhs.uk; NHS, Vitamins and minerals: vitamin A, reviewed 3 August 2020. Great Britain nutrition and health claims register for the authorised wordings.
3. Watanabe F, et al. Vitamin B12-containing plant food sources for vegetarians. Nutrients, 2014. PubMed 24803097. Review of food analyses.
4. Tucker KL, et al. Plasma vitamin B-12 concentrations relate to intake source in the Framingham Offspring study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2000. PubMed 10648266. Cross-sectional analysis, 2,999 adults, US government funded.
5. Niklewicz A, et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of functional vitamin B12 status among adult vegans. Nutrition Bulletin, 2024. PubMed 39373282. Systematic review, 19 studies, 17 meta-analysed.
6. Green R, et al. Vitamin B12 deficiency. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 2017. PubMed 28660890. Review.
7. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for cobalamin (vitamin B12). EFSA Journal, 2015. PubMed 42109795. Expert opinion.
8. NHS. Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia: causes. Page reviewed 20 February 2023. nhs.uk.
9. NHS. The vegan diet. Page reviewed 5 June 2026. nhs.uk.

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This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have symptoms of B12 deficiency, or absorb poorly because of age, medicines or a gut condition, see your GP for a blood test; food alone may not be enough.