Whole plants and B12
Most unfortified plant foods do not reliably provide vitamin B12. That includes everyday salads, greens, fruit, grains, legumes, and the usual “green day” plate.
A few foods people sometimes assume “cover” B12 — for example some mushrooms or fermented plants — are not a reliable B12 plan on their own in this atlas. Where a catalogue note mentions traces or analogues, treat that as a caution, not a source. Thrive does not invent B12 figures for whole plants.
Fortified foods — read the label
“Fortified” means the maker added B12 (and sometimes other nutrients) to the product. Amounts and % NRV (UK) vary by brand and batch. The pack is the source of truth — not a generic table, and not a social-media claim.
Nutritional yeast flakes are often fortified with B12, and many UK plant drinks add calcium and B12 on the carton. How much depends on the brand, so Thrive does not show a B12 figure for them: on nutritional yeast, the plant drinks and coconut yogurt, the B12 line, and any calcium or vitamin the maker adds, says Check the pack and is left out of totals. Open the Check the pack filter to see all 11 of these cards, then check the label you buy.
When you read a label, look for vitamin B12 (often listed as µg) and the % NRV line used in the UK. Same food name, different brands: different fortification.
Supplements — honesty, not a pitch
For people who eat little or no animal food, a supplement is often the reliable line alongside (or instead of) fortified products. Thrive does not sell supplements, does not recommend a brand, and does not give a dose. That choice sits with you and, if you want it, a professional — not with this page.
How Thrive shows B12
- Plant cards use food-composition data (CoFID / USDA) and % NRV (UK) where a reference exists.
- A Check the pack flag marks the 11 cards that are often sold fortified: nutritional yeast, the plant drinks and coconut yogurt. Their B12 line, and any added calcium or vitamin, says Check the pack — brands vary, so Thrive shows no figure for it.
- Example plant pages such as kale show the table format — useful for label literacy on other nutrients; they are not a B12 source unless fortified.
- Related guides: Travel (no-kitchen plates) and Offline (atlas on this device).
Figures are curiosity about food — not a clinical score and not medical advice.
Answer-ready close
Vitamin B12 is not reliably provided by unfortified plant foods alone. On a plant-leaning plate, the honest sources are fortified foods (check the label for B12 and % NRV UK — brands vary) or a supplement. Thrive is a plant nutrition atlas for food data and curiosity — not medical advice and not a treatment plan.
About this page
This is label literacy and food-composition honesty. Thrive shows CoFID / USDA figures with % NRV (UK) where a reference exists — curiosity about what is on the plate, not a treatment plan, not a protocol, and not medical advice.
It is not personal medical guidance, not dosing advice, and not a brand ranking. If you need personal guidance, talk to a qualified professional — Thrive stays on the food-data side of the line.