What this page is (and isn’t)
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.
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, seaweeds such as nori, 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 will not invent B12 in whole plants that do not carry honest fortified figures.
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.
In Thrive’s living atlas, the plant we stand behind with fortified figures is nutritional yeast (fortified flakes). Open the Fortified filter to see that card. Many UK plant drinks add calcium and B12 on the carton; this atlas keeps plant-drink rows unfortified so we do not invent a brand’s numbers — 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 Fortified flag marks entries with fortified figures we can stand behind (today: nutritional yeast).
- 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.