Health Canada OKs Vitamin D Supplements in Yogurt, Kefir

Yogurt and dairy products are displayed for sale at a grocery store in Aylmer, Que., on May 26, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)

Health Canada has given the go-ahead for producers to start adding vitamin D supplements to yogurt. The department says the move is to help offset vitamin D deficiency in Canadians due to long, dark winters.

“Vitamin D is important for bone health yet many people in Canada are not getting enough,” the Marketing Authorization for Vitamin D in Yogurt and Kefir notice said, as first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter.

Health Canada says the nutrient plays a role in helping the body absorb calcium and maintain strong bones and teeth.

Using data from the Canadian Health Measures Survey, the notice said that about one in five Canadians has inadequate levels of the vitamin.

The notice said it would allow manufacturers to voluntarily add vitamin D to yogurt and kefir as they are dairy products that contain calcium, which is key to bone health.

Danone, General Mills, and Lactalis said they would be adding vitamin D to 50 to 75 percent of products they manufacture, according to the notice.

The vitamin is already added to milk and margarine, and in July 2022 was approved for goat’s milk.

“Yet, it is still challenging for people in Canada to consume the recommended amounts of vitamin D through the current food supply,” Minister of Health Mark Holland wrote.

The notice said one out of five Canadians reported consuming yogurt or kefir products the previous day.

Vitamin D supplement amounts were set out in the notice, with 5 micrograms of vitamin D per 100 grams permitted for plain yogurts, which is 25 percent of the daily recommended value.

Health Canada has indicated a vitamin D range for fruit or flavoured yogurts and kefirs, saying not less than 3.8 mcg and not more than 5 mcg of vitamin D per 100 grams is permitted.

Kefir numbers are lower, as people consume more of the product, the notice said. For plain kefir, 2.7 mcg of vitamin D per 100 millilitres is permitted while fruit or flavoured kefir is allowed between 2.3 mcg and 2.7 mcg of vitamin D per 100 millilitres.

Future changes may see vitamin D added to plant-based alternatives to help Canadians acquire the recommended amount.

“When fortification regulations are modernized in the future, Health Canada will consider enabling the fortification of plant-based alternatives to dairy yogurts and kefirs with all of the important micronutrients contained in dairy-based yogurts; this would include vitamin D,” the notice said.

Numbers released in November 2023 by Statistics Canada found that about 66 percent of Canadians had “sufficient” vitamin D, while 26 percent had “inadequate” levels, and 8 percent were considered deficient.

The report found that 67 percent of children between the ages of three and 11 had sufficient vitamin D levels, but as they got older, the levels dropped with 53 percent of those aged 12 to 19 having sufficient vitamin D for optimal health.

Adults who ate yogurt once a day were found to have better vitamin D levels than those who did not, 83 percent versus 78 percent. Those who drank one glass of milk a day also had better vitamin D levels than those who did not, 85 percent versus 81 percent.