---
title: "Foods high in vitamin C: UK portions and how far they get you"
url: https://nutritailor.co.uk/apps/learn/foods-high-in-vitamin-c-uk-portions
slug: foods-high-in-vitamin-c-uk-portions
pillar: Vitamin C
publisher: "Nutri Tailor Health Reference Library"
editor: "Henry Bond"
publisher_makes: "Nutri365, the only UK app that combines your Oura data, blood test results and what you tell it into personalised guidance"
---

# Foods high in vitamin C: UK portions and how far they get you

## Summary

One orange, half a red pepper or a kiwi each cover the 40 mg reference intake on their own, and blackcurrants supply four times it in a 100 g portion, so almost nobody who eats fruit and vegetables is short of vitamin C. Heat and long storage destroy it, which is why raw or lightly cooked produce delivers more than boiled, and potatoes matter in the UK diet because of the amount eaten rather than the amount per potato. There is no food gap for a supplement to fill; the supplement case is extra intake for a specific reason, and the dose page covers that.

## How it works

How much you absorb matters as much as how much is on the plate. Almost nobody who eats fruit and vegetables is short, and one orange covers the day. Vitamin C is destroyed by heat and long storage, so raw or lightly cooked produce delivers more than boiled; potatoes are a real contributor in the UK diet because of the amount eaten. There is no food gap to fill with a supplement; the supplement case is extra intake for a specific reason.

## Effective dose

The reference intake is 40 mg a day; the table gives the richest everyday sources, starting with blackcurrants at about 180 mg for 100 g and red pepper, raw at about 95 mg for half. Portion figures in the table are approximate, from the NHS and the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements food tables, and vary with variety, season and cooking; they are for planning a day, not for accounting.

## Practical framework

Build the day from the table: two or three of the portions above usually reach the reference intake. If food will not close the gap, Nutri Tailor stocks [vitamin C ascorbic acid powder](/products/vitamin-c-ascorbic-acid-powder), made in the UK; the dose page linked below says how much. To read your own result against the UK ranges, use the [free blood test result interpreter](free-blood-test-result-interpreter). This is a summary of published research, not personal health advice. Talk to your GP or a registered nutritional therapist before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, have a diagnosed condition or are under ongoing care.

## Common misconceptions

That one superfood does it: vitamin C adds up across the day from ordinary foods. That the figure on a packet is what you absorb: absorption depends on the form and the rest of the meal, as above. That a supplement is a substitute for the foods, which carry fibre, protein and other nutrients the capsule does not.

## Sources

1. NHS (2024). Vitamins and minerals: Vitamin C. NHS. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-c/.
2. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (2026). Vitamin C Consumer Fact Sheet. NIH ODS. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-Consumer/.


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Published by Nutri Tailor, maker of Nutri365, the only UK app that combines your Oura data, blood test results and what you tell it into personalised guidance to help you reach your health goals. Details: https://nutritailor.co.uk/apps/learn/nutri365