Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5)

Pantothenic acid, or vitamin B5, is a water-soluble vitamin present in small amounts in most foods, with meat, eggs, mushrooms and wholegrains among the better sources. This page sets out what may be said about pantothenic acid under the authorised UK wording and which foods carry the most of it per 100 g.

Pantothenic acid, or vitamin B5, is a water-soluble vitamin present in small amounts in most foods, with meat, eggs, mushrooms and wholegrains among the better sources.

The reference intake used on UK labels (the NRV) is 6 mg a day. A food is a source of pantothenic acid when 100 g carries at least 15 % of that (0.9 mg) and high in pantothenic acid at 30 % (1.8 mg). Those are the thresholds every food page here uses.

What Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) does in the body.

Pantothenic acid contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism, to normal mental performance and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

Pantothenic acid contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism, to normal mental performance 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 pantothenic acid on UK labels is 6 mg a day. A food counts as a source of pantothenic acid at 15 % of that per 100 g (0.9 mg) and as high in pantothenic acid at 30 % (1.8 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 pantothenic acid, per 100 g.

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

Where Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) comes from in food.

calf liver (8.4 mg), lamb liver (8.2 mg), ox liver (8.1 mg), pig liver (6.5 mg), chicken liver (6.1 mg), rice breakfast cereal (6 mg), chicken eggs (5.21 mg), broad beans (4.94 mg)

Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) in the Immufix formula.

Pantothenic acid is declared on the Immufix label at 1.5 mg per 25 g scoop, which is 25 % 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 Wording already published on the site's Science page. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. All foods A to Z.