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Thread: B12 in Animal Products

  1. #1
    Eating Wildflower's Avatar
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    Default B12 in Animal Products

    I have never seen an animal product labeled with any sort of daily value of B12 here in the US, nor have I ever heard of any non-vegans concerned with B12 intake (because apparently, we need so little, it is not worth worrying about if you eat meat or dairy).

    Now, granted, I do not look at too many meat packages, but I did check out some dairy labels and didn't see it listed. The only things I have seen it listed on are soya milk and some packaged foods marketed towards vegans. (and a few vitamin drink mixes that have everything)

    I just found this interesting...if animal products have so much B12, why is it not labeled, advertised, etc. It just seems to be only targeted towards vegans (which yes, I understand as we are likely to want to see that on a label since we are concerned with deficiency) but one would think government regulations provide for consistant labeling?

    I just figured that since animal products apparently contain it, it may be on a label somewhere?

  2. #2
    FR
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    Default Re: B12 in Animal Products

    I have seen it listed on cereal that uses animal products (almost all conventional cereal by Kellogs, General Mills are not vegan). I have also seen it listed on cow's milk.

  3. #3

    Default Re: B12 in Animal Products

    Quote Wildflower
    I have never seen an animal product labeled with any sort of daily value of B12 here in the US, nor have I ever heard of any non-vegans concerned with B12 intake (because apparently, we need so little, it is not worth worrying about if you eat meat or dairy).

    Now, granted, I do not look at too many meat packages, but I did check out some dairy labels and didn't see it listed. The only things I have seen it listed on are soya milk and some packaged foods marketed towards vegans. (and a few vitamin drink mixes that have everything)

    I just found this interesting...if animal products have so much B12, why is it not labeled, advertised, etc. It just seems to be only targeted towards vegans (which yes, I understand as we are likely to want to see that on a label since we are concerned with deficiency) but one would think government regulations provide for consistant labeling?

    I just figured that since animal products apparently contain it, it may be on a label somewhere?
    Interesting thing u brought up, I never thought of that.. but I guess its not labelled cuz the omnis arent concern with B12 at all since they r getting it in their meat?

  4. #4
    cross barer
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    Default Re: B12 in Animal Products

    Well considering it is only a problem for long term (generally 5 years +) vegans chances are even those who eat meat very very occasionally will still get enough. There's probably lots of compounds ignored on ingrediants lists because very few people require knowledge of their inclusion.

  5. #5
    I eve's Avatar
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    Default Re: B12 in Animal Products

    I've seen recommended daily usage as 3 micros.
    Eve

  6. #6
    Ex-admin Korn's Avatar
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    Default Re: B12 in Animal Products

    Quote adam antichrist
    Well considering it is only a problem for long term (generally 5 years +) vegans chances are even those who eat meat very very occasionally will still get enough. There's probably lots of compounds ignored on ingrediants lists because very few people require knowledge of their inclusion.
    40% of all meat eaters have low B12 levels according to several studies. This probably means that 40% of all people who go vegan have low B12 levels the day they switch, or maybe even lower, if they have been lacto-vegetarians earlier, or want to switch to a more healthy life style because they don't feel well.

    IF it's correct that 50& of all meat eaters take multivitamins (I've seen it somewhere.. can anyone confirm or correct me???), and 40% of all meat eaters are low in B12, wouldn't it be reasonable to assume that in the group of meat eaters (60%) that don't have low B12 levels, we'll find all the multivitamin eaters (50%)?
    I will not eat anything that walks, swims, flies, runs, skips, hops or crawls.

  7. #7

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    Default Re: B12 in Animal Products

    Quote eve
    I've seen recommended daily usage as 3 micros.
    That's right. The vegan society recommend 3 micrograms per day in fortified foods or 10 micrograms per day if just taking supplements.

    http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food/nutrition/b12/

  8. #8
    Ex-admin Korn's Avatar
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    Default Re: B12 in Animal Products

    Quote Spiral
    That's right. The Vegan Society recommend 3 micrograms per day in fortified foods or 10 micrograms per day if just taking supplements.

    http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food/nutrition/b12/
    Well....

    The Vegan Society recommends to...

    eat fortified foods two or three times a day to get at least three micrograms (µg or mcg) of B12 a day
    ..but I haven't seen any discussion on their site which discuss the issue of fortified food containing B12 analogues, so I don't really trust this recommendation.

    Or...
    take one B12 supplement daily providing at least 10 micrograms or
    I don't trust this recommendation either, because I agree with those who say that B12 supplements only should be taken by people with B12 deficiency. Where I live (Norway), you can't even buy B12 supplements with more than 9 mcg in without a prescription from a doctor, because more than 9 mcg B12 pr day is considered medical treatment, not a food supplement.


    I have several problems with their recommendations. They are not discussing both sides of of the B12/homocysteine/heart disease debate (discussed here, for example), and not (that I have seen).

    They present the B12 issue as if B12 problems may only be a problem for vegans, which gives a false, negative impression of vegan food. See B12 analogues in multivitamins and fortified foods.

    They also seem to ignore the ongoing discussion about links between certain medical problems (ie. certain common types of cancer), and high B12 intake. See this thread.

    Last, but not least, they present veganism and B12 as a problem; they don't discuss the many reasons that both meat eaters, lacto-vegetarians and vegans often are low in B12. This way - again - they strengthen the belief that B12 is a vegan-related problem (only).

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