Selenium

Selenium is a trace mineral. Brazil nuts, fish, meat and eggs are the main sources; the amount in plant foods depends on the soil they grew in. This page sets out what may be said about selenium under the authorised UK wording and which foods carry the most of it per 100 g.

Selenium is a trace mineral. Brazil nuts, fish, meat and eggs are the main sources; the amount in plant foods depends on the soil they grew in.

The reference intake used on UK labels (the NRV) is 0.055 mg a day. A food is a source of selenium when 100 g carries at least 15 % of that (0.00825 mg) and high in selenium at 30 % (0.0165 mg). Those are the thresholds every food page here uses.

What Selenium does in the body.

Selenium contributes to the normal function of the immune system, to normal thyroid function and to the maintenance of normal hair and nails.

Selenium contributes to the normal function of the immune system, to normal thyroid function and to the maintenance of normal hair and nails.

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 selenium on UK labels is 0.055 mg a day. A food counts as a source of selenium at 15 % of that per 100 g (0.00825 mg) and as high in selenium at 30 % (0.0165 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 selenium, per 100 g.

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

Where Selenium comes from in food.

pig kidney (0.27 mg), brazil nuts (0.254 mg), crab brown meat (0.225 mg), ox kidney (0.21 mg), lamb kidney (0.209 mg), shrimps (0.17 mg), prawns (0.163 mg), crab (0.156 mg)

Selenium in the Immufix formula.

Selenium is declared on the Immufix label at 0.075 mg per 25 g scoop, which is 136 % 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.