Iron

Iron is a mineral found in red meat, offal, beans, fortified cereals and dark green vegetables. The figure here is total iron, whatever its form. This page sets out what may be said about iron under the authorised UK wording and which foods carry the most of it per 100 g.

Iron is a mineral found in red meat, offal, beans, fortified cereals and dark green vegetables. The figure here is total iron, whatever its form.

The reference intake used on UK labels (the NRV) is 14 mg a day. A food is a source of iron when 100 g carries at least 15 % of that (2.1 mg) and high in iron at 30 % (4.2 mg). Those are the thresholds every food page here uses.

What Iron does in the body.

Iron contributes to normal cognitive function, to normal energy-yielding metabolism, to the normal function of the immune system and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

Iron contributes to normal cognitive function, to normal energy-yielding metabolism, to the normal function of the immune system and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

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 iron on UK labels is 14 mg a day. A food counts as a source of iron at 15 % of that per 100 g (2.1 mg) and as high in iron at 30 % (4.2 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 iron, per 100 g.

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

Where Iron comes from in food.

thyme (124 mg), marjoram (82.7 mg), curry powder (58.3 mg), Jew's ear mushrooms (56.1 mg), dill (48.8 mg), ginger (46.8 mg), bay leaf (43 mg), basil (42 mg)

Iron in the Immufix formula.

Iron is declared on the Immufix label at 1.25 mg per 25 g scoop, which is 8.9 % 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.