Copper

Copper is a trace mineral found in nuts, seeds, shellfish, offal and wholegrains. This page sets out what may be said about copper under the authorised UK wording and which foods carry the most of it per 100 g.

Copper is a trace mineral found in nuts, seeds, shellfish, offal and wholegrains.

The reference intake used on UK labels (the NRV) is 1 mg a day. A food is a source of copper when 100 g carries at least 15 % of that (0.15 mg) and high in copper at 30 % (0.3 mg). Those are the thresholds every food page here uses.

What Copper does in the body.

Copper contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism, to the normal function of the immune system and to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.

Copper contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism, to the normal function of the immune system and to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.

That is the authorised wording, and it is credited to the nutrient itself. Nothing on this page goes beyond it.

How much counts as a source.

The Nutrient Reference Value for copper on UK labels is 1 mg a day. A food counts as a source of copper at 15 % of that per 100 g (0.15 mg) and as high in copper at 30 % (0.3 mg); drinks use half those percentages per 100 ml. Those are the thresholds every food page here applies, and the only basis on which a food page says “source of” or “high in”.

Foods with the most copper, per 100 g.

Per 100 g, these are the foods in the database with the most copper. Dishes and recipes are left out so the list shows single foods.

Where Copper comes from in food.

calf liver (23.9 mg), lamb liver (13.5 mg), mushroom (8.71 mg), instant drinks powder (7.57 mg), oysters (7.5 mg), whelks (6.59 mg), squid (3.93 mg), cocoa powder (3.9 mg)

Copper in the Immufix formula.

Copper is declared on the Immufix label at 0.12 mg per 25 g scoop, which is 12 % of the NRV. The full list of declared nutrients is on The Science page.

Questions people ask.

Where the numbers come from.

Food figures from the UK Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset (CoFID, 2021), per 100 g; reference values from Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 Annex XIII as retained in GB law; claim wording from GB nutrition and health claims register. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. All foods A to Z.