Nutrient lists · USDA FNDDS 2021–2023
Foods high in vitamin B12
Per serving, the top food in USDA’s FNDDS is Liver, beef, with 70.1 µg of vitamin B12 in 1 slice, any size (85 g), 2,922% of the Daily Value. Liverwurst, Kidney and Oysters, canned come next. It also leads per 100 grams, at 82.5 µg.
Per serving
Serving size a usual portion
| Food | Serving | Vitamin B12 | % DV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Liver, beef | 1 slice, any size · 85 g | 70.1 µg | 2,922% |
| 2Liverwurst | ½ cup, solid pack · 106.5 g | 21.4 µg | 892% |
| 3Kidney | ½ cup · 70 g | 17.3 µg | 720% |
| 4Oysters, canned | 1 small can · 75 g | 15.6 µg | 650% |
| 5Clams, raw | ½ cup · 112.5 g | 12.7 µg | 530% |
| 6Fish, herring | 1 fillet, any size · 90 g | 11.6 µg | 484% |
| 7Liver, chicken | ½ cup · 70 g | 10.6 µg | 440% |
| 8Octopus | ½ cup · 67.5 g | 8.78 µg | 366% |
| 9Mussels | ½ cup · 67.5 g | 8.71 µg | 363% |
| 10Liver, paste or pate | ½ cup · 105 g | 8.47 µg | 353% |
| 11Heart | ½ cup · 72.5 g | 7.76 µg | 323% |
| 12Beef, steak, tenderloin | 1 regular · 160 g | 7.25 µg | 302% |
| 13Fish, mackerel, grilled | 1 small/regular fillet · 140 g | 7.03 µg | 293% |
| 14Brains | ½ cup · 70 g | 7 µg | 292% |
| 15Fish, sardines, canned | 1 standard can · 75 g | 6.7 µg | 279% |
% Daily Value: the share of the FDA’s 2.4 µg a day in one serving.
Per 100 grams
Serving size 100 g
| Food | Vitamin B12 | % DV |
|---|---|---|
| 1Liver, beef | 82.5 µg | 3,438% |
| 2Kidney | 24.7 µg | 1,029% |
| 3Oysters, canned | 20.8 µg | 867% |
| 4Liverwurst | 20.1 µg | 838% |
| 5Caviar | 20 µg | 833% |
| 6Liver, chicken | 15.1 µg | 629% |
| 7Octopus | 13 µg | 542% |
| 8Fish, herring | 12.9 µg | 537% |
| 9Mussels | 12.9 µg | 537% |
| 10Clams, canned | 12.7 µg | 529% |
| 11Heart | 10.7 µg | 446% |
| 12Brains | 10 µg | 417% |
| 13Fish, sardines, canned | 8.94 µg | 372% |
| 14Seafood sauce | 8.08 µg | 337% |
| 15Liver, paste or pate | 8.07 µg | 336% |
% Daily Value: the share of the FDA’s 2.4 µg a day in 100 g.
About vitamin B12 in this data
FNDDS reports vitamin B12 in micrograms, and the FDA’s Daily Value is 2.4 µg. It comes mostly from animal foods and from foods it’s added to; FNDDS reports the added part separately, which Calorie Tape shows as “Vitamin B12, added”. One slice of beef liver holds about 29 times the Daily Value.
For what vitamin B12 does in the body and how much people need, see Vitamin B12: Fact Sheet for Consumers, NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.
How these lists work
- Foods. USDA’s generic foods, less baby foods, meal replacements, energy drinks, vitamin waters, mixed dishes such as sandwiches and soups, and recipe ingredients.
- Serving. One of FNDDS’s own portions, the one nearest the amount FNDDS assumes when someone doesn’t say how much they ate.
- One row per food. A food FNDDS lists several ways, such as baked, fried and grilled, shows once, at its highest.
Track vitamin B12 in Calorie Tape
Calorie Tape logs every nutrient a food reports, vitamin B12 included, and shows which foods your day’s vitamin B12 came from. It works offline, needs no account, and keeps your log on your iPhone.
Related nutrients
- Foods high in folateTop per serving: Cereal, oat bunches
- Foods high in vitamin B6Top per serving: Beef, steak, T-bone, lean only eaten
- Foods high in ironTop per serving: Grits, instant, made with water, no added fat
- Foods high in cholineTop per serving: Egg omelet or scrambled egg, no added fat
- Compare the top twoLiver, beef vs Liverwurst, every nutrient, in Food vs food
- All 27 nutrientsVitamins, minerals, protein, fiber and more
Sources
- USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) 2021–2023, from FoodData Central: every food, amount and portion. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
- Vitamin B12: Fact Sheet for Consumers, NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.
- Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels, U.S. Food and Drug Administration: the Daily Values behind % DV.
- Calorie Tape Food Data: where the app’s foods come from.
Calorie Tape is a food log, not medical advice. Spotted a wrong number? Email hellochillcreatures@gmail.com.