Iron is a important mineral for our bodies that can be found in some foods.

Iron is important for making red blood cells which carry oxygen around the body and it plays an essential role in maintaining a healthy immune system

Iron is found in both animal and plant foods. Good sources include:

• Red meat, poultry and fish

• Beans, lentils and chickpeas

• Tofu and other soya foods

• Nuts and seeds

• Wholegrains

• Fortified cereals and plant-based meats

Yes, females require more iron than males and the highest iron requirements are for women aged 18-50.

Iron needs differ by age and sex:

• Adult men: about 8.7mg per day

• Adult women (19 to 49): about 14.8mg per day

• Postmenopausal women: about 8.7mg per day

• Women of childbearing age need more due to menstrual blood loss.

No, iron can also be found in plants suchs as pulses, legumes, dark green vegetables, nuts and seeds.

HOW CAN THIS™ HELP?

Iron doesn’t start in animals, it starts in the soil.

Plants absorb iron as they grow. When animals eat plants, they take in that iron and store it in their bodies, particularly in muscle tissue. This is what we refer to as heme iron, the form of iron in meat. You can think of iron as the “letter,” and haem as the “envelope” that surrounds it, helping protect it and carry it through the body.

So when you eat meat, you’re not getting a new source of iron, you’re getting iron that has already been processed through an animal.

Plant-based foods go closer to the source, providing iron directly from plants.

Yes, you can get enough iron from plants. Some plants contain even more iron than animal based sources.

HOW CAN THIS™ HELP?

Plant-based meat products naturally contain iron from the plants they’re made from, but levels can vary depending on the ingredients and formulation.

To help make it easier to meet daily iron needs, THIS™ products are fortified with iron, helping you get more of what your body needs in every serving.

The iron itself is the same and your body will use it the same, but how the iron is packaged is different. In plants, iron is present in the non-haem form (like iron citrate or iron sulphate) and in meat it is haem-iron. The plant form of iron is more difficult to digest so you need to eat more of it. With a planned diet, its easy to get enough iron from plants.

THIS™ products are fortified with non-haem iron in addition to the naturally occuring iron in the plant ingredients. These higher levels bring amounts closer to what you'd get from red meats. Without the downsides.

Vitamin B12 (also known as cobalamin) is an essential micronutrient needed within the diet. B12 helps to make red blood cells, keep the nervous system functioning normally, and reduce tiredness. It’s essential to make healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body, and ensure the normal functioning of the nervous system.

How can THIS help?

If you follow a vegan diet, you’ll need to get vitamin B12 from fortified foods (like some THIS™ products), fermented foods or consider a supplement.

Vitamin B12 is almost exclusively found in animal-based foods. However, it is not produced by animals. It is produced by certain bacteria.

These bacteria enter the food chain when animals consume them through plant material or soil. In some animals, B12 is also produced by bacteria in the gut and then absorbed into their tissues.

This is why animal products are the main dietary source of B12. However, some plant-based foods are fortified with B12.

Yes and No, B12 doesn’t come from plants or animals originally, it comes from bacteria.

Animals contain B12 because of bacteria in their gut or in their feed, so it ends up stored in meat, dairy, and eggs.

HOW CAN THIS™ HELP?

If you follow a vegan diet, you’ll need to get vitamin B12 from fortified foods (like some THIS™ products), fermented foods or consider a supplement.

Yes and No. Vitamin B12 does not occur natually within plant foods, but some fermented foods contain natural B12 or can be added to them through fortification.

HOW CAN THIS™ HELP?

Most THIS™ products contain Vitamin B12 through fortification to ensure this essential micronutrient is readily available.

This means it is possible to get vitamin B12 on a plant-based diet as long as it includes fortified foods such as THIS, certain fermented foods (like mushrooms), or vitamin supplements.