Foods high in vitamin B12: 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 vitamin B12: “Liver, heifer, cooked” (83.1 µg per 100 g), “Kidney, lamb, braised” (78.9 µg) and “Winkle, cooked” (60.7 µg).
What it does
Vitamin B12, or cobalamin, is involved in your cells' metabolism, working closely with folate (vitamin B9). A deficiency most often shows up as anemia, with fatigue and shortness of breath, and can gradually damage nerves, the brain and the spinal cord; these problems improve with the vitamin but often leave lasting effects. B12 is made by microorganisms, mainly bacteria and archaea, so it is found mostly in animal foods (organ meats, fish, eggs, meat, dairy), and deficiency is especially common among vegans, as France's ANSES points out.
The ranking: the 25 everyday foods highest in vitamin B12
| Rank | Food | Group | µg / 100 g | % NRV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liver, heifer, cooked | Cooked meat | 83.1 | 3324 % |
| 2 | Kidney, lamb, braised | Cooked meat | 78.9 | 3156 % |
| 3 | Winkle, cooked | Seafood, cooked | 60.7 | 2428 % |
| 4 | Salmon roe, semi-preserved | Fish products | 48.6 | 1944 % |
| 5 | Clam, boiled/cooked in water | Seafood, cooked | 39.5 | 1580 % |
| 6 | Cockle, cooked | Seafood, cooked | 38 | 1520 % |
| 7 | Octopus, common, cooked | Seafood, cooked | 36 | 1440 % |
| 8 | Offal, cooked (average) | Cooked meat | 22.7 | 908 % |
| 9 | European pilchard or sardine, in olive oil, canned, drained | Fish products | 20 | 800 % |
| 10 | Mussels, filled (fat, parsley and garlic…), prepacked, raw | Dishes | 19.3 | 772 % |
| 11 | Mackerel, roasted/baked | Fish, cooked | 19 | 760 % |
| 12 | Mussel, boiled/cooked in water | Seafood, cooked | 17.6 | 704 % |
| 13 | Anchovy, fillets, marinated in oriental style (oil,chili pepper…), semi-preserved, drained | Fish products | 15.3 | 612 % |
| 14 | Foie gras, duck, whole, cooked | Delicatessen meat and similar | 15 | 600 % |
| 15 | Cod liver, canned, drained | Fish products | 14.4 | 576 % |
| 16 | Atlantic herring, grilled/pan-fried without added fat | Fish, cooked | 14.1 | 564 % |
| 17 | Heart, turkey, cooked | Cooked meat | 13.9 | 556 % |
| 18 | Duck terrine | Delicatessen meat and similar | 13.6 | 544 % |
| 19 | Flaked crab and/or decorticated crab leg, canned, drained | Fish products | 13.5 | 540 % |
| 20 | Atlantic herring, smoked | Fish products | 13.4 | 536 % |
| 21 | Pilchard, in tomato sauce, canned, drained | Fish products | 13 | 520 % |
| 22 | Grey shrimp, boiled | Seafood, cooked | 12.6 | 504 % |
| 23 | Crustacean or mollusc (average) | Seafood, cooked | 12.4 | 496 % |
| 24 | Trout roe, canned | Fish products | 10.4 | 416 % |
| 25 | Mussel, canned in brine, drained | Fish products | 10.2 | 408 % |
How much you need
The EU nutrient reference value (NRV) is 2.5 µg a day (Regulation 1169/2011). EFSA (2015) and France's ANSES set an adequate intake of 4 µg a day for adults, 4.5 µg during pregnancy and 5 µg while breastfeeding: at that level, blood markers of B12 status stay within normal ranges. In the US, the recommended dietary allowance is 2.4 µg, and the Institute of Medicine advises people over 50 to get most of it from fortified foods or supplements, because 10 to 30% of older people may not absorb the B12 naturally present in food.
Best sources, food group by food group
| Food group | Food | µg / 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Meat | Liver, heifer, cooked | 83.1 |
| Kidney, lamb, braised | 78.9 | |
| Offal, cooked (average) | 22.7 | |
| Fish and seafood | Winkle, cooked | 60.7 |
| Salmon roe, semi-preserved | 48.6 | |
| Clam, boiled/cooked in water | 39.5 | |
| Eggs and dairy | Egg yolk, powder | 6.02 |
| Duck egg, raw | 5.4 | |
| Goose egg, raw | 5.1 | |
| Legumes, grains, tubers | Dauphine potato, frozen, cooked | 0.39 |
| Pasta, dry, with egg, raw | 0.29 | |
| Blinis | 0.28 | |
| Fruits and vegetables | Vegetables (3-4 types), mashed | 0.02 |
Practical tips
- A few foods cover the day. In the Ciqual table, 100 g (3.5 oz) of cooked mussels provides 17.6 µg, sardines in olive oil 20 µg, baked mackerel 19 µg and a grilled beef steak 2.7 µg.
- Vegetarian: eggs and cheese help. 100 g of hard-boiled egg provides 1.1 µg and 100 g of Comté cheese 2.6 µg (Ciqual); milk and plain yogurt contain far less, around 0.15 to 0.2 µg per 100 g.
- Vegan: this one isn't optional. In the Ciqual table, no plant food provides a useful amount: miso shows 0.08 µg per 100 g, spirulina 0. Talk to your doctor about a reliable source, fortified foods or a supplement.
- Over 50, stay alert. Absorption of food B12 drops in some older adults. Unusual fatigue or changes in sensation: see your doctor, a blood test settles it.
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; vitamin B12 content known for 2038 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 (2.5 µg 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 vitamin B12?
Top of the everyday foods in the 2025 Ciqual table from ANSES: “Liver, heifer, cooked”, with 83.1 µg per 100 g, ahead of “Kidney, lamb, braised” (78.9 µg) and “Winkle, cooked” (60.7 µg).
How much vitamin B12 do I need per day?
EFSA sets 4 µg a day for adults, 4.5 µg during pregnancy and 5 µg while breastfeeding. The US recommended dietary allowance is 2.4 µg, and the EU label NRV is 2.5 µg.
Where do vegetarians get vitamin B12?
From eggs (1.1 µg per 100 g of hard-boiled egg in the Ciqual table) and cheese (2.6 µg per 100 g of Comté). Vegans won't find useful B12 in plant foods, and France's ANSES notes that deficiency is common in that case. Talk to your doctor about a reliable source, fortified foods or a supplement.
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 cobalamin (vitamin B12). EFSA Journal. 2015. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4150
- 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
- Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline. National Academies Press. 1998. doi:10.17226/6015
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