In a vegan society, how would vitamin B12 be obtained?

Question

Would there be some way of chemically synthesizing this vitamin? Would a small number of animals need to be humanely slaughtered to obtain enough B12 to put in our food (or in oral vitamins)? From what I understand, even bacteria produce B12, so we could even grow bacterial cultures to obtain it.

Answer 1

From a vegan perspective, you can see by going to the link provided that there are indeed ways to obtain B12 in your diet from other than animal sources.  It also suggest supplementation of B12.

You are correct in that they grow bacterial cultures to obtain vegan/vegetarian grade B12, which is easy to obtain from health food stores, online, and many local stores in your area.  Best to take it sublingual (under the tongue).

Some have suggested that you can get it from food because there are at time traces of it that are on the exterior of root grown vegetables.  Problem is - wash the vegetables - you wash away the dirt with the vitamins.  

Safest way is to supplement your diet with fortified foods and a once a week pill that is easy to take.  

As you can see by my second link, there really is no reliable source of B12 other than suppliments - even suggested in this website which doesn't have the more current information that I read about in "Vegetarian Times" just a few months ago.

Such a small thing to do for those that have made the choice from moral perspective.  

A small price to pay for those that do it from a health perspecitve.

Another way to get B12 is from nutritional yeast - about 1 to 2 tsp. a day.  I personally don't really like the taste - so another personal choice if one wants to go that route.

Answer 2

they have little raspberry dots for vegetarians at walmart that are just B12

Answer 3

they would get it the same way they get it now.. through supplements, fortified foods and a yeast brand which I forgot (Red Star something).

Another myth by another poster being relayed/implied is that plants have enough b12. Actually,no. The b12 produced by humans in the large intestine cannot be absorbed and is inadequate in any case. The die hard expert needs to read facts not wishful thinking fiction.

Answer 4

we would get it the same way a meat eater gets it. They eat cows, which eat plants, which have the B12 bacteria growing on it. So we would eat fruit and veggies with it growing on it.

Currently, which all the chemicals we spray on the veggies, it kills off that bacteria. But remember, anything you get from meat is basically gotten from what they eat. Calcium in milk? how do you think they got the calcium, they ate plants.

Not saying we eat grass, but plently of plants have b12 and calcium in it.

Answer 5

Adding to what Bluefootedpig said, there is also B12 in soy, rice, almond, and hemp milks. B12 is in a lot of fake meats, considering most are made of vegetables anyway. And also it is in cereals. I had regular Cheerios with B12 in them!

Answer 6

Just have our daily glass of draft beer. For non drinkers put some nutritional yeast in your soup. I have even read that oral s*x gives on a good dose of B12. That goes good with beer :-)

Answer 7

No animals ever have to be killed to obtain B12.

It is produced by microorganisms and is already found in many vegan products, in the soil and in some vegetables and fruits.

The funny thing is that animal farming weakens soil and destroys much of its B12 content, so a vegan society would have soil with a higher amount of B12.

I also think that the human body learns to make its own B12 in the absense of a lot of food containing B12. The liver stores decades worth, and many vegans who haven't bothered with fortified products etc. still have their sight and a healthy nervous system. The body seems to lose its ability to make it itself when its overloaded with B12 in food such as meat.

To exsft, once again attacking vegans by twisting their words and then trying to attack their character:

"Another myth by another poster being relayed is that plants have enough b12."

What I actually said was "It is produced by microorganisms and is already found in many vegan products, in the soil and in some vegetables and fruits." not "plants have enough b12" as you have tried to make people believe.

Better luck next time (I'm sure there will be one...)