Vitamin B12 is the one vitamin you can’t get from plants. If you eat little or no meat, fish, eggs, or dairy, fortified foods and supplements are how you get it. This guide shows how to find B12 on a label and add it up.

The short version

  • Natural sources are animal foods: fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, and other dairy products. Clams and beef liver are the richest, according to the NIH.
  • Plant-based sources are fortified foods: some breakfast cereals, nutritional yeasts, and other foods have B12 added.
  • You need 2.6 mcg a day in pregnancy and 2.8 mcg while breastfeeding, up from 2.4 mcg for other adults.
  • Labels list B12 only when it’s been added. The Daily Value (DV) is 2.4 mcg, so a pregnant woman needs about 108% DV.
  • Check with your provider. Many people who eat no animal foods also take a B12 supplement, because fortified foods vary by brand.

Where B12 comes from

Animal foods carry B12 naturally. That includes fish and shellfish, red meat, poultry, eggs, milk, yogurt, and cheese. If you eat dairy and eggs, you may get some B12 even without meat, but it can still be low.

Fortified foods have B12 added during processing. The NIH lists breakfast cereals and nutritional yeast, and says other foods are fortified too. Plant milks, meat substitutes, and some bars may be, depending on the brand. Plants don’t have B12 on their own, so a food that isn’t fortified, such as a plain plant milk, won’t help.

A caution about liver. Beef liver is among the richest sources of B12, but it’s also very high in vitamin A, and too much preformed vitamin A in pregnancy can cause birth defects, according to the NIH. Ask your provider before eating liver while pregnant.

How to add up B12 from labels

The FDA doesn’t require food labels to list B12 unless it was added, according to the NIH. When it is listed, you’ll usually see a percent Daily Value (% DV). The Daily Value for B12 is 2.4 mcg, so you can turn any label into micrograms:

% DV on the label B12
25% 0.6 mcg
50% 1.2 mcg
100% 2.4 mcg
108% 2.6 mcg, your daily need in pregnancy
117% 2.8 mcg, your daily need while breastfeeding

Then add up the % DV from everything you eat and drink that’s fortified. For example, a cereal at 25% DV, a fortified plant milk at 50% DV, and a serving of nutritional yeast at 100% DV add up to 175% DV, or about 4.2 mcg. Those labels are an example, and brands differ a lot, so check your own.

Tips

  • Read the label for the word “fortified” or a B12 line in the nutrition facts. A plain plant milk, plain cereal, or plain tofu has none.
  • Make it a daily habit. B12 comes only from what you eat and take, so build it into breakfast or snacks you have every day.
  • Don’t count on one food. Fortification varies by brand and by product.
  • Ask for help. Ask your provider if you’re not sure your fortified foods are enough.

Supplements

Many people who eat no animal foods also take a B12 supplement, because it’s the most reliable way to be sure. B12 supplements and prenatal vitamins are easy to find, and B12 hasn’t been shown to cause harm even at high doses, according to the NIH. Ask your provider how much to take, and whether to have your B12 tested. See Vitamin B12 Deficiency Treatment.

If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding

Your baby depends on your B12, and breastfed babies of women who eat no animal products may get very little, according to the CDC. Don’t rely on fortified foods alone without talking to your provider. See Vegan and Vegetarian Prenatal Vitamins and Prenatal Vitamins While Breastfeeding.

What to do now

  • Check the labels on your cereal, plant milk, and nutritional yeast for B12, and convert the % DV to mcg.
  • Add up a typical day and compare it with 2.6 mcg (108% DV) in pregnancy.
  • If you’re short, or you eat no animal foods, ask your provider about a B12 supplement.
  • Check your prenatal vitamin label for B12.

Related reading

Sources

Updated November 2026. This article is for general information and is not a substitute for advice from your health care provider.