STOP PRESS: We have discontinued Veg1 vitamins, but they are now available from the Vegan Society at https://www.vegansociety.com/shop/veg-1-supplements

Veg1 VitaminsVeg1 is the Vegan Society’s multivitamin, formulated to meet the needs of vegans, but suitable for everyone. This supplement provides EU recommended daily allowances (RDAs) of Vitamin B2, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Folic Acid, Iodine and Selenium.

Why Supplement?

Low B12 intakes can cause anemia and nervous system damage. The only reliable vegan sources of B12 are foods fortified with B12 (including some plant milks, some soy products and some breakfast cereals) and B12 supplements. Some suggest that the lack of vitamin B12 elsewhere in our diet is a result of ‘modern’ industrialised food production.

Read the vitamin B12 key facts from the Vegan Society, including sources of Vitamin B12 in day-to-day foods, and What Every Vegan Should Know about Vitamin B12 from VeganHealth.org.

The NHS– “With good planning and an understanding of what makes up a healthy, balanced vegan diet, you can get all the nutrients your body needs.“

The British Dietic Association “a well-planned vegan diet can “support healthy living in people of all ages.”

You can get all amino acids and calcium from plant based foods. B12 comes from bacteria and many animals are supplemented too.

Do carnivores need Vitamin B12 supplements?

… cattle no longer feed on grass and chickens do not peck in the dirt on factory farms. Even if they did, pesticides often kill B12 producing bacteria and insects in soil. Heavy antibiotic use kills B12 producing bacteria in the guts of farm animals. In order to maintain meat a source of B12 the meat industry now adds it to animal feed, 90% of B12 supplements produced in the world are fed to livestock. Even if you only eat grass-fed organic meat you may not be able to absorb the B12 attached to animal protein. It may be more efficient to just skip the animals and get B12 directly from supplements.

Ref: http://baltimorepostexaminer.com/carnivores-need-vitamin-b12-supplements/2013/10/30

Alternatives

There are other vegan supplements with vitamin b12 available which, although substantially more expensive, are based on more natural ingredients.

For example look at Viridian High-Five-Multivitamin-and-Mineral-Formula in a base of alfalfa, spirulina and bilberry, rather than sugar and dextrose.

 


As it may be difficult to find vegan supplements elsewhere, so will try to suggest other suppliers where were can find them. Feedback welcome.

Whilst we give no endorsement of other suppliers, we are happy to pass on details, starting with:

Canada & USA

Easy Multivegan from Platinum Naturals.

United States (USA)

Thanks to Meg for seeking out Deva Vegan Vitamins, which may be a suitable alternative, rather than shipping Veg1 from Nottingham, UK to the USA.

Deva Vegan Vitamins: full product info & suppliers

If you can suggest other alternatives for vegan supplements with vitamin B12 please let us know.