Canadian milk doubles Vitamin D content

Farmers Forum staff

OTTAWA — The dose of vitamin D added to retail milk in Canada has been doubled, effective Jan. 1.

For 50 years, Health Canada has required that dairy processors fortify milk with a microscopic quantity of vitamin D set by the federal agency. As of 2026, that dose is now 2 micrograms — or 2 millionths of a gram — per 100 ml of milk.

That’s 20 micrograms per litre, a tiny blob that would fit on the head of a pin.

According to Dalhousie University’s Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, the vitamin is dissolved in a small amount of fat before blending into milk. Fortifying milk with vitamin D is done to reduce vitamin D deficiency in the general population. It’s needed for a healthy immune system and bones. Severe lack can lead to rickets, a disease that still occurs in Canada. People with dark skin are at an elevated risk of vitamin D deficiency, especially in winter. Overall, 1 in 5 Canadians lack vitamin D.

Health Canada gave notice of the change in 2022.

Vitamin D saw an upsurge in public interest during the COVID-19 pandemic as many people turned to natural ways of boosting the immune system.