I just found out today that the only reason meat contains B12 is because livestock are supplemented.

Meyersaurus

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  1. Vegan
I am literally so furious right now.. I just read an article that 90% of all the B12 supplements produced in the world are fed to livestock, because they don't naturally contain it. Is this a joke? This was literally the main "argument" thrown at me my entire life, the only point about the health of a vegan diet that I never knew how to fully debunk.
 
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"Cattle and other grass-eating animals get B12 and B12 producing bacteria from clumps of dirt around the grass roots that they pull up. Chickens and other birds get B12 from pecking around for worms and other insects. These animals store B12 mostly in their livers and muscles and some B12 pass into milk and eggs.
But, cattle no longer feed on grass and chickens do not peck in the dirt on factory farms. Even if they did, pesticides often kill B12 producing bacteria and insects in soil. Heavy antibiotic use kills B12 producing bacteria in the guts of farm animals. In order to maintain meat a source of B12 the meat industry now adds it to animal feed, 90% of B12 supplements produced in the world are fed to livestock."

 
Whenever someone questions me about veganism (which seems to be a daily occurrence) and they mention no B12 - i usually reply 'well, actually the most 'natural' way to get b12 is to eat our poo as this contains B12 - animals get B12 from supplements' - they usually back off on this topic after that