Last updated: October 11, 2026. Information checked at the time of writing.
Short answer: in Health Canada’s 2026 Canadian Nutrient File, the richest common food is “Beef, spleen, braised”, at 39.4 mg per 100 g. The Daily Value used on Canadian labels is 18 mg. The table ranks 30 foods by amount per 100 g and shows the amount in a typical serving.
The ranking
| Rank | Food (CNF) | Serving | Per serving | % DV per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beef, spleen, braised | 75 g | 29.5 mg | 164% | 39.4 mg |
| 2 | Pork, liver, braised | 75 g | 13.4 mg | 75% | 17.9 mg |
| 3 | Cereal, ready to eat, Cheerios, General Mills (fortified) | 250 ml | 4.88 mg | 27% | 16.5 mg |
| 4 | Seeds, sesame seeds, whole, roasted and toasted | 60 ml | 5.61 mg | 31% | 14.8 mg |
| 5 | Chicken, liver, all classes, cooked, pan-fried | 75 g | 9.66 mg | 54% | 12.9 mg |
| 6 | Lamb, kidney, braised | 75 g | 9.30 mg | 52% | 12.4 mg |
| 7 | Candies, chocolate, dark, 70-85% cocoa solids | 40 g | 4.76 mg | 26% | 11.9 mg |
| 8 | Fish, caviar, black and red, granular | 15 ml | 1.93 mg | 11% | 11.9 mg |
| 9 | Lamb, liver, pan-fried | 75 g | 7.65 mg | 42% | 10.2 mg |
| 10 | Mollusks, octopus, common, boiled or steamed | 75 g | 7.15 mg | 40% | 9.54 mg |
| 11 | Mollusks, oyster, eastern (blue point), wild, boiled or steamed | 75 g | 6.91 mg | 38% | 9.21 mg |
| 12 | Mollusks, oyster, pacific, boiled or steamed | 75 g | 6.90 mg | 38% | 9.20 mg |
| 13 | Chicken, broiler, heart, simmered | 75 g | 6.77 mg | 38% | 9.03 mg |
| 14 | Seeds, sesame butter, tahini, roasted and toasted kernels | 30 ml | 2.72 mg | 15% | 8.95 mg |
| 15 | Soybean, fermented products, natto | 175 ml | 11.1 mg | 62% | 8.60 mg |
| 16 | Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, roasted | 60 ml | 4.65 mg | 26% | 8.07 mg |
| 17 | Seeds, hemp seeds, hulled | 60 ml | 3.22 mg | 18% | 7.95 mg |
| 18 | Seeds, chia seeds, dried | 60 ml | 3.34 mg | 19% | 7.72 mg |
| 19 | Mollusks, mussel, blue, boiled or steamed | 75 g | 5.04 mg | 28% | 6.72 mg |
| 20 | Beef, heart, simmered | 75 g | 4.79 mg | 27% | 6.38 mg |
| 21 | Parsley, fresh | 125 ml | 1.97 mg | 11% | 6.20 mg |
| 22 | Beef, liver, pan-fried | 75 g | 4.63 mg | 26% | 6.17 mg |
| 23 | Nuts, cashew nuts, dry roasted | 60 ml whole or halves | 2.08 mg | 12% | 6.00 mg |
| 24 | Veal, liver, pan-fried | 75 g | 4.49 mg | 25% | 5.98 mg |
| 25 | Beef, kidney, simmered | 75 g | 4.35 mg | 24% | 5.80 mg |
| 26 | Seeds, flaxseed (linseed), whole and ground | 60 ml whole | 2.44 mg | 14% | 5.73 mg |
| 27 | Nuts, pine nuts, pignolia, dried | 60 ml | 1.89 mg | 10% | 5.53 mg |
| 28 | Lamb, heart, braised | 75 g | 4.14 mg | 23% | 5.52 mg |
| 29 | Tofu, regular, medium firm or firm (prepared with calcium sulphate) | 1 serving | 8.04 mg | 45% | 5.36 mg |
| 30 | Pork, kidney, braised | 75 g | 3.97 mg | 22% | 5.29 mg |
Source: Health Canada, Canadian Nutrient File 2026 (14th edition). Amounts per 100 g and per serving as listed by the CNF; servings use CNF measures such as one Canada’s Food Guide serving of meat (75 g).
What to know
- Iron from meat, fish and organs is heme iron, which the body absorbs more readily than the non-heme iron in plants and fortified foods.
- Vitamin C in the same meal improves absorption of non-heme iron.
- Beef spleen tops the list. It is one of the five organs in a beef organ complex.
- Cheerios appear because they are fortified with iron.
See also: the beef liver guide, the organ meats guide and the best beef liver supplements in Canada.
FAQ
What food has the most iron?
In the Canadian Nutrient File 2026, braised beef spleen has the most iron of the common foods we ranked, 39.36 mg per 100 g, followed by braised pork liver and chicken liver.
How much iron do I need a day?
The Daily Value on Canadian labels is 18 mg. Needs differ by age and sex; premenopausal women need more than men.
Is iron from meat better absorbed?
Yes. Heme iron from animal foods is absorbed more readily than non-heme iron from plants.
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Written by the team at Rise Nutrition, Toronto, Canada’s single-ingredient ancestral nutrition brand. Questions: ray@risenutritions.ca
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