H for Health
Vitamin B12 is a vital and essential vitamin for humans. Essential means that we cannot produce the vitamin ourselves, but must obtain it from external sources. Vitamin B12 is made by microorganisms found in the soil.
Where does B12 come from?
In our modern, hygienic, and sterilized world, we no longer eat foods with remnants of soil on them, and our drinking water is purified and may even be chlorinated. Much of our agricultural soil is sprayed with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, which contribute to the eradication of the important B12 producing microorganisms in the soil. The development of modern society has therefore resulted in our inability to naturally obtain B12 from B12 producing microorganisms in our food and drinking water. Since neither humans nor animals (with the exception of ruminants) can produce B12 in sufficient quantities, both we and farm animals in modern industrialized factory farms are dependent on B12 supplements.