Foods high in calcium: ranked by France's official Ciqual table
According to the 2025 Ciqual table from ANSES, France's food safety agency, the top three everyday foods highest in calcium: “Milk powder, skimmed” (1,260 mg per 100 g), “Pecorino cheese, from ewe's milk” (1,160 mg) and “Grana Padano cheese, from cow's milk” (1,050 mg).
What it does
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in your body: 1 to 2% of your weight, 99% of it in your skeleton. It gives bones and teeth their strength, but it also drives nerve and muscle excitability, blood clotting, hormone release and the activation of many enzymes. Blood calcium is kept within a tight range, in close connection with bone stores. Over the long run, low intakes reduce bone mass and raise the risk of fractures. Vitamin D helps you absorb it.
The ranking: the 25 everyday foods highest in calcium
| Rank | Food | Group | mg / 100 g | % NRV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milk powder, skimmed | Milk | 1,260 | 158 % |
| 2 | Pecorino cheese, from ewe's milk | Cheese and similar | 1,160 | 145 % |
| 3 | Grana Padano cheese, from cow's milk | Cheese and similar | 1,050 | 131 % |
| 4 | Grey shrimp, boiled | Seafood, cooked | 1,000 | 125 % |
| 5 | Parmesan cheese, from cow's milk | Cheese and similar | 980 | 123 % |
| 6 | Emmental cheese, from cow's milk | Cheese and similar | 978 | 122 % |
| 7 | Sesame seed | Nuts and seeds | 962 | 120 % |
| 8 | Tomme cheese, from cow's milk | Cheese and similar | 953 | 119 % |
| 9 | Hard cheese, emmental-type cheese, reduced fat, from cow's milk | Cheese and similar | 949 | 119 % |
| 10 | Hard cheese (average) | Cheese and similar | 916 | 114 % |
| 11 | Mimolette cheese, old, from cow's milk (cured 12 months minimum) | Cheese and similar | 910 | 114 % |
| 12 | Comté cheese, from cow's milk | Cheese and similar | 907 | 113 % |
| 13 | Gruyere cheese, France, Protected Geographical Indication, from cow's milk | Cheese and similar | 898 | 112 % |
| 14 | Cheese, dry, from goat's milk | Cheese and similar | 895 | 112 % |
| 15 | Processed cheese, to unroll or to shred, from cow's milk | Cheese and similar | 883 | 110 % |
| 16 | Tomme cheese, reduced fat, around 13% fat | Cheese and similar | 852 | 106 % |
| 17 | Beaufort cheese, from cow's milk | Cheese and similar | 845 | 106 % |
| 18 | Mimolette cheese, young, from cow's milk (cured less than 6 months) | Cheese and similar | 844 | 106 % |
| 19 | Hard cheese, from cow's milk | Cheese and similar | 833 | 104 % |
| 20 | Mimolette cheese, from cow's milk | Cheese and similar | 825 | 103 % |
| 21 | Cantal cheese, from cow's milk | Cheese and similar | 817 | 102 % |
| 22 | Edam cheese, from cow's milk | Cheese and similar | 812 | 101 % |
| 23 | Gruyere cheese, from cow's milk | Cheese and similar | 800 | 100 % |
| 24 | Cantal cheese, half matured, from cow's milk | Cheese and similar | 791 | 99 % |
| 25 | Gouda cheese, from cow's milk | Cheese and similar | 774 | 97 % |
Outside the ranking, the absolute record-holders in the table are foods eaten in very small amounts: “Lithothamnion (Lithothamnion), dried or dehydrated” (30,400 mg/100 g), “Basil, dried” (2,240 mg/100 g), “Savory, dried” (2,130 mg/100 g).
How much you need
The EU nutrient reference value (NRV) is 800 mg a day (Regulation 1169/2011). EFSA's 2015 reference intakes, also used in France by ANSES, are higher: 950 mg a day from age 25, 1,000 mg between 18 and 24, while bones are still building up calcium, and 1,150 mg from 11 to 17. Pregnancy and breastfeeding don't change these values, because calcium metabolism adapts. On the other side, ANSES sets a safety limit of 2,500 mg a day for adults: more isn't always better.
Best sources, food group by food group
| Food group | Food | mg / 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Meat | Pork, spare-ribs, braised | 30.4 |
| Veal, chop, grilled/pan-fried | 29 | |
| Beef, minced steak, 20% fat, cooked | 24 | |
| Fish and seafood | Grey shrimp, boiled | 1,000 |
| European pilchard or sardine, in olive oil, canned, drained | 432 | |
| Pilchard, in tomato sauce, canned, drained | 250 | |
| Eggs and dairy | Milk powder, skimmed | 1,260 |
| Pecorino cheese, from ewe's milk | 1,160 | |
| Grana Padano cheese, from cow's milk | 1,050 | |
| Legumes, grains, tubers | Haricot bean, dried | 240 |
| Lupin, seed, dried | 176 | |
| English muffin, prepacked | 162 | |
| Fruits and vegetables | Onion, dried | 257 |
| Kale, raw | 254 | |
| Spinach, boiled/cooked in water | 240 | |
| Nuts and seeds | Sesame seed | 962 |
| Chia, seed, dried | 631 | |
| Tahini (sesame paste) | 284 |
Practical tips
- Dairy is the easy route. Based on the Ciqual table, a 250 ml (8.5 fl oz) glass of semi-skimmed milk provides about 300 mg, a 125 g plain yogurt about 170 mg and 30 g (1 oz) of Comté cheese about 270 mg.
- Not all greens are equal. Calcium from kale, a low-oxalate vegetable, is absorbed very well: slightly better than milk calcium in a 1990 study (41% versus 32%). Spinach calcium is poorly absorbed, even though the Ciqual table lists 240 mg per 100 g of boiled spinach.
- Think seeds, sardines and water. Sesame seeds (962 mg per 100 g), tahini (284 mg) and canned sardines in oil (432 mg) all count; ANSES also mentions some hard mineral waters rich in calcium and magnesium.
- Mind your vitamin D. It helps calcium absorption (ANSES): the two go together, especially in the teenage years, when EFSA's reference intakes are highest.
How this ranking is built
Values per 100 g of the food as described (raw, cooked, drained…), as published by ANSES, France's food safety agency, in the 2025 Ciqual table (3484 foods; calcium content known for 2677 of them). The everyday ranking leaves out spices, herbs, seaweed and condiments, supplements and foods for special medical purposes, baby foods, alcohol, and raw meat or fish (the cooked version is kept). To keep the examples varied, only one food per main name is kept (the richest). Values listed as “traces” count as zero; values below the quantification limit are not ranked. % NRV compares the content per 100 g with the EU nutrient reference value (800 mg per day, Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011), the one used on food labels: a benchmark, not your personal requirement.
Frequently asked questions
Which food has the most calcium?
Top of the everyday foods in the 2025 Ciqual table from ANSES: “Milk powder, skimmed”, with 1,260 mg per 100 g, ahead of “Pecorino cheese, from ewe's milk” (1,160 mg) and “Grana Padano cheese, from cow's milk” (1,050 mg).
How much calcium do I need per day?
According to EFSA, 950 mg a day for adults from age 25, 1,000 mg between 18 and 24, and 1,150 mg from 11 to 17. The EU label NRV, 800 mg, is lower, so a food providing 100% of the NRV doesn't cover your whole need.
What are good non-dairy sources of calcium?
In the Ciqual table, sesame seeds (962 mg per 100 g) and tahini (284 mg), canned sardines in oil (432 mg), kale (254 mg), almonds (260 mg) and plain tofu (100 mg) are good options. Choose low-oxalate greens such as kale over spinach, whose calcium is poorly absorbed.
Sources
- Anses. Table de composition nutritionnelle des aliments Ciqual 2025. doi:10.5281/zenodo.17550133
- EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for calcium. EFSA Journal. 2015. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4101
- Anses. Les références nutritionnelles en vitamines et minéraux. 2025. anses.fr
- Règlement (UE) n° 1169/2011 du Parlement européen et du Conseil du 25 octobre 2011 concernant l'information des consommateurs sur les denrées alimentaires, annexe XIII. Journal officiel de l'Union européenne. 2011. eur-lex.europa.eu
- Heaney RP, Weaver CM. Calcium absorption from kale. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990. doi:10.1093/ajcn/51.4.656
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