Beef liver, pan-fried
Checked by us One serving: 100 g (about 1¼ slices) · 175 kcal
Protein, plus vitamin B12 and vitamin A. Rich in 8 more nutrients: see Good for.
Limit it to once a week or less: copper and preformed vitamin A. Rated from general figures (grade C), not measured in this food.
Worth knowing for some people: alpha-gal syndrome; vitamin A in pregnancy.
Good for
How we counted this
What one serving (100 g) gives you.
Your body needs enough of each of these. Past enough, more doesn’t help. Amounts are what the food databases list, not what your body absorbs, unless a row says it was measured.
The words: “A lot” means one serving gives 20% or more of Health Canada’s daily amount, “Some” 10% to 19%, “A little” 2% to 9%, “Almost none” under 2%. Strongest word first; within a word, protein and fibre lead, then the biggest share. ?
A milligram (mg) is a thousandth of a gram, and a microgram (µg) a thousandth of a milligram: 1,000 µg make 1 mg.
- A lot
Protein
Your muscles, and every other tissue, are built and repaired from it.
Learn more
26.5 g in one serving: 47% of the 56 g a day men need, 58% of the 46 g women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. Institute of Medicine 2005, Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids
- A lot
Vitamin B12
Your body needs it to make red blood cells and keep nerves working.
Learn more
83.1 µg in one serving: 3463% of the 2.4 µg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin B12 fact sheet for health professionals
- A lot
Vitamin A
Your eyes need it to see in dim light.
Eaten every day, one serving would be 258% of Health Canada’s upper level for adults (3,000 µg a day): a ceiling for daily intake, not one meal. See Watch out.
Learn more
Getting enough matters; more than enough doesn’t sharpen your sight.
7,744 µg in one serving: 860% of the 900 µg a day men need, 1106% of the 700 µg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin A fact sheet for health professionals
- A lot
Riboflavin (B2)
Your cells use it to make energy and handle fats. It also helps turn tryptophan into niacin and activate vitamin B6.
Learn more
3.43 mg in one serving: 264% of the 1.3 mg a day men need, 312% of the 1.1 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, riboflavin fact sheet for health professionals
- A lot
Niacin (B3, niacin equivalents)
More than 400 of your enzymes need it to work.
Learn more
23.1 mg in one serving: 144% of the 16 mg a day men need, 165% of the 14 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, niacin fact sheet for health professionals
- A lot
Vitamin B6
Helps you use protein, and your brain needs it to make its chemical messengers.
Learn more
1.03 mg in one serving: 79% of the 1.3 mg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin B6 fact sheet for health professionals
- A lot
Choline
Your cells need it for their membranes, and to make acetylcholine, a messenger for memory, mood and muscle control.
Learn more
418 mg in one serving: 76% of the 550 mg a day men need, 98% of the 425 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, choline fact sheet for health professionals
- A lot
Folate
Your body needs it to make DNA and to divide new cells.
Learn more
260 µg in one serving: 65% of the 400 µg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, folate fact sheet for health professionals
- A lot
Selenium
Your thyroid uses it to make its hormones.
Learn more
32.8 µg in one serving: 60% of the 55 µg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, selenium fact sheet for health professionals
- A lot
Zinc
Your immune system and healing wounds depend on it.
Learn more
5.23 mg in one serving: 48% of the 11 mg a day men need, 65% of the 8 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, zinc fact sheet for health professionals
- A lot
Iron
Carries oxygen in your blood.
Learn more
6.17 mg in one serving: 77% of the 8 mg a day men need, 34% of the 18 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Listed amount only. 2 absorption studies of this nutrient are on file for this food, but none is quoted yet. Each one is in The numbers, with the reason. See the studies
Source: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, iron fact sheet for health professionals
11 more nutrients below “a lot”
- Some
Thiamin (B1)
Your cells use it to get energy from food, and so to grow and work.
Learn more
0.18 mg in one serving: 15% of the 1.2 mg a day men need, 16% of the 1.1 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, thiamin fact sheet for health professionals
- Some
Potassium
Your nerves, muscles and kidneys need it to work.
Learn more
351 mg in one serving: 10% of the 3,400 mg a day men need, 14% of the 2,600 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, potassium fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Vitamin D
Your body needs it to absorb calcium and keep your bones hard.
Learn more
Your skin also makes it in sunlight, so food is only one of its sources.
1.2 µg in one serving: 8% of the 15 µg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin D fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Magnesium
Your muscles and nerves need it to work.
Learn more
22 mg in one serving: 6% of the 400 mg a day men need, 7% of the 310 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, magnesium fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Vitamin K1
Your blood needs it to clot.
Learn more
3.9 µg in one serving: 3% of the 120 µg a day men need, 4% of the 90 µg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin K fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Vitamin E
Shields the fats in your cells from damage; your immune system uses it too.
Learn more
0.46 mg in one serving: 3% of the 15 mg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin E fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Omega-3: ALA
The one omega-3 your body can’t make: it must come from food. Your cells build it into their membranes and burn it for energy.
Learn more
36 mg in one serving: 2% of the 1,600 mg a day men need, 3% of the 1,100 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, omega-3 fatty acids fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Vitamin C
Your body makes collagen with it, which wounds need to heal. It also helps you absorb iron from plants.
Learn more
0.7 mg in one serving: 1% of the 90 mg a day men need, 1% of the 75 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin C fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Calcium
Builds your bones and teeth.
Learn more
6 mg in one serving: 1% of the 1,000 mg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, calcium fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Omega-3: EPA + DHA
Long-chain omega-3s, built into your cell membranes. DHA is concentrated in your brain and retinas.
Learn more
0 mg in one serving: under 1% of the 250 mg a day.
Health Canada sets no daily amount for these fats, so the daily figure here is the European Food Safety Authority’s.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, omega-3 fatty acids fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Fibre
Keeps your gut moving.
Learn more
0 g in one serving: under 1% of the 38 g a day men need, under 1% of the 25 g women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. Institute of Medicine 2005, Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids
Watch out
How we counted this
Copper
Limit itLearn more
34 g a day reaches the limit
You’d need about 0.3 servings in a day of this food alone to reach the limit.
One serving carries 14.6 mg
This amount varies a lot from one batch to the next: the figures we hold for this food differ twofold or more. Every figure on this site uses the same one, the food’s listed value.
How we got this
The dataset’s rating: Limit it: weekly or less
Weekly or less: EFSA's acceptable daily intake for copper is 0.07 mg/kg body weight/day, 5 mg a day for adults, set so that no copper is expected to build up in the liver. Eaten alone, about 33.6 g of cooked liver in a day would reach it (4.9 mg for 70 kg at 0.14588 mg per g); Health Canada's upper intake level is 10,000 µg/day (68.6 g). One 100 g serving carries 14.6 mg, 3.0 times EFSA's daily value and 1.5 times the Canadian level. It is a chronic daily limit. Separately, EFSA's 2024 opinion on vitamin A finds that Europeans are unlikely to exceed the vitamin A upper level if liver and offal are eaten once a month or less; that advice is about vitamin A, not copper.
Preformed vitamin A (retinol)
Limit itLearn more
39 g a day reaches the limit
You’d need about 0.4 servings in a day of this food alone to reach the limit.
EFSA puts it more strictly: people in Europe are unlikely to go past the upper level for vitamin A if they eat liver and other offal once a month or less.
One serving carries 7,730 µg
How we got this
The dataset’s rating: Limit it: weekly or less
Weekly or less: the tolerable upper intake level (UL) for preformed vitamin A is 3,000 µg RE a day (EFSA 2024; Health Canada 3,000 µg RAE, preformed only), set against birth defects. Eaten alone, about 38.8 g of cooked liver in one day would reach it if nothing else supplies retinol, and one 100 g serving is 2.6 times the daily UL. EFSA states populations are unlikely to exceed the UL if liver is eaten once a month or less. Averaged over a week, one 100 g serving (retinol 7,728 µg, USDA) is 1,104 µg a day, 37% of the daily UL; EFSA and CoFID figures run 2.2 to 2.4 times higher and average about 90% or more. Retinol in liver varies several-fold by species, feed and country, so 38.8 g is an upper bound on grams (16 to 17 g on those figures).
Dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs
Worth knowingAn average adult is already at or past the limit from other food.
Flagged on beef liver, raw; not recorded on this one, so shown here. See that page
Learn more
Flagged: the tolerable weekly intake for dioxins and PCBs is 42 pg a week at 70 kg (EFSA 2026, WHO 2022 toxic equivalents). On the upper-bound European mean of 0.11 pg/g (522 samples), about 382 g of raw liver a week would reach it, and a 100 g serving is 26% of the weekly limit. It pairs with the lower-bound row to give the two bounds.
How we got this
As rated on beef liver, raw: Flagged: the tolerable weekly intake for dioxins and PCBs is 42 pg a week at 70 kg (EFSA 2026, WHO 2022 toxic equivalents). On the upper-bound European mean of 0.11 pg/g (522 samples), about 382 g of raw liver a week would reach it, and a 100 g serving is 26% of the weekly limit. It pairs with the lower-bound row to give the two bounds.
efsa-2026-dioxins· grade A
Cadmium
Nothing to watchYou’d need about 2.1 servings a day, every day, of this food alone to use up what an average adult’s intake leaves under the limit.
Learn more
One serving carries 3.41 µg
How we got this
A serving a day adds 19% to what an average adult already takes in: a share of that intake, not of the limit. With that serving every day, an average adult would be at about 84% of the limit.
An average adult already takes in about 71% of the limit. One serving a day fits in the room left.
Counted from zero, with no allowance for what adults already take in from other food, 5,100 g a week would reach the limit.
Why this rating: Eating it daily comes to 700 g a week, which stays within the 1,500 g of room left before the limit.
The dataset’s rating: Nothing to watch: under the limit
A daily serving adds 19% to an average adult's cadmium intake (EFSA 2012 adult median, 1.77 µg/kg body weight/week; Canadian adults in 2007: 1.2-1.75), far from doubling it, so no cap.
Checked for nickel, aluminum and lead: fine at normal amounts.
Nickel
Nothing to watchYou’d need more than 100 servings in a day of this food alone to use up what the highest average adult intake we found leaves under the limit.
Learn more
One serving carries 3.3 µg
How we got this
The highest average adult intake we found already takes up about 26% of the limit. One serving a day fits in the room left.
Counted from zero, with no allowance for what adults already take in from other food, 28,000 g a day would reach the limit.
Why this rating: Eating it daily comes to 100 g a day, which stays within the 20,000 g of room left before the limit.
The dataset’s rating: Nothing to watch: under the limit
No cap: EFSA's 2020 tolerable daily intake for nickel is 13 µg/kg body weight/day, 910 µg a day. Eaten alone, about 27,600 g of liver a day would reach it, on a lower-bound Health Canada mean of 33.0 µg/kg (16 composites).
EFSA CONTAM Panel (2020). Update of the risk assessment of nickel in food and drinking water. EFSA Journal 18(11):6268 (PMC7643711) · doi.org · grade A
Aluminum
Nothing to watchYou’d need more than 100 servings a day, every day, of this food alone to reach the limit.
Learn more
One serving carries 49.5 µg
How we got this
140,000 g a week reaches the limit
The dataset’s rating: Nothing to watch: under the limit
No cap: EFSA's tolerable weekly intake for aluminium is 1 mg/kg body weight/week, 70,000 µg a week. Eaten alone, about 141,000 g of liver a week would reach it, on a lower-bound Health Canada mean of 494.8 µg/kg (17 composites). Results differ widely between sampling periods and no explanation was sought.
EFSA FAF Panel, Re-evaluation of aluminium sulphates (E 520-523), sodium aluminium phosphate (E 541), potassium aluminium silicate (E 555) and others as food additives, EFSA J 2018;16(7):5372 (PMC7009639) · doi.org · grade A
Lead
Nothing to watchYou’d need about 22 servings a day, every day, of this food alone to double the lead an average adult already gets. No dose is known to be safe, so doubling is where we flag.
Learn more
A serving a day adds 4.6% to what an average adult already takes in. There is no limit to take a share of.
One serving carries 1.61 µg
How we got this
The dataset’s rating: Nothing to watch: doesn’t double average intake
No cap: no safe threshold is set for lead; EFSA's 2010 reference point is a benchmark dose lower limit (BMDL01) of 0.5 µg/kg body weight/day. Judged by what a serving adds to the average adult's intake of about 35 µg/day (EFSA 2012): a 100 g serving carries 1.6 µg, about 5%. The Health Canada mean is 16.08 µg/kg across 17 composites; German monitoring figures run about 1.4 to 2 times higher.
For some people
Flagged for people with alpha-gal syndrome: mammalian meat, including organ meats, is a trigger. The CDC's products page names organ meats; its about page lists beef, pork, lamb, venison and rabbit.
Measured, not rated: 219.8 mg purines (raw basis)
Learn more
Measured on the raw food: no figure for this preparation has been found.
If you have gout: avoiding organ meats such as liver, which are higher in purines, is one of the diet changes that help lower uric acid in the blood and the number of flares, according to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Source: NIAMS (NIH), Gout: diagnosis, treatment, and steps to take
How we got this
Not rated for people with gout or hyperuricemia: the only reference is a Japanese dietary recommendation of 400 mg purines a day, seen through Kaneko 2014 rather than an agency document, so no reference is established. Raw beef liver measures 219.8 mg purines per 100 g (HPLC, Kaneko 2014, four purine bases), measured raw; no pan-fried figure was found, so the raw value stands in here. For scale only, 400 mg would be reached at about 182 g of raw liver.
Flagged for women who are or plan to be pregnant: EFSA 2024 advises against eating liver products, and the Public Health Agency of Canada advises limiting liver. Neither states a dose; the 3,000 µg RE upper intake level (38.8 g of this liver) is the figure to count against. The agencies differ in strength, and the human data conflict on the main teratogenic metabolite, all-trans retinoic acid: Buss 1994 found it up to 20 times lower after calf liver than after a supplement of the same retinol dose, while van Vliet 2001 found it, to a lesser extent, higher after liver paste. van Vliet 2001 and Hartmann 2005 both found 13-cis metabolites higher after liver.
Worth knowing
No limit applies, so none is rated.
Cholesterol
381 mg in a 100 g serving.
Learn more
Shown, not rated: the current US and Canadian dietary guidelines set no daily limit for cholesterol from food, and put the weight on saturated fat and the overall diet. The Canadian Nutrition Facts table gives it no percent daily value.
Source: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 · Health Canada, Canada’s Dietary Guidelines, Section 1
Sugar
0 g of sugar in a 100 g serving, natural and added together.
Learn more
Shown, not rated. The food tables we read give total sugar, and few give added sugar, so the site can’t yet tell sugar added in making a food from the sugar in fruit or milk.
Also checked (nothing to act on) · 2
Noted for context, or not measured in this food yet.
Context only: total arsenic has no reference value; the inorganic share is not reported for meat.
Context only (same as ground beef pan-browned). No liver-specific HCA or PAH measurement found.
Better options
How we counted this
“Better” here always means better at something the row names: more of one nutrient, more nutrients per serving, or the goal you pick. It never means better in every way.
Every amount below is for the same weight, 100 g, the size of one serving of this food, so a swap compares like with like. A serving of another food can be bigger or smaller.
A food is listed only if it gives clearly more: at least a fifth more than this food, and at least 10% of the daily amount more.
More of what it’s good for
For protein: Bacon, pan-fried would lead, in the same 100 g, but is left out (portions too different to compare by weight).
For vitamin B12: no other main-dish proteins we’ve checked give clearly more, in the same 100 g.
For vitamin A: no other main-dish proteins we’ve checked give clearly more, in the same 100 g.
Chicken liver, simmered would lead this list, but it’s left out (Preformed vitamin A (retinol): limit it).
Your goal
Your goal changes only this list, not what the food gives you or what to watch.
Losing weight: fewer calories, and more nutrients, protein and fibre for each calorie.
Chicken liver, simmered would lead this list, but it’s left out (Preformed vitamin A (retinol): limit it).
Building muscle: more protein and more calories, per 100 g.
Bacon, pan-fried33.9 g protein · 468 kcal per 100 gWorth knowing: dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs · this food has it too
1 food out of the 21 other main-dish proteins we’ve checked and could compare gives clearly more protein, and more calories, per 100 g.
Why some foods aren’t suggested
Left out: Bacon, pan-fried (portions too different to compare by weight).
Left out: Chicken liver, simmered (Preformed vitamin A (retinol): limit it).
Bring a tracker export or describe your usual week. The same rules check all of it.
The numbers
Open every value
Name in the database: Beef liver, pan-fried
How the serving was set: 100 g cooked (Health Canada TRA item L.6, cuts of meat and poultry: 125 g raw, 100 g cooked; the table has no liver row)
Listed nutrients, per 100 g
For each nutrient, the value this page uses is marked “used”. A row marked “second database” is another database’s figure for a matching food, kept so you can see how far databases disagree (they can differ in the samples analysed, lab methods and rounding). Its own cells are worked out from it, but none of the page’s words or scores are.
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 calories | How | Source | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omega-3: ALA | 0.036 g | 0.04 g | 0.02 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Calcium | 6 mg | 6 mg | 3.43 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| 6 mg | 6 mg | 3.43 mg | copy of USDA · not used | Canadian Nutrient File 2026 #2657 | C | |
| Carbohydrate | 5.16 g | 5.16 g | 2.95 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Choline | 418.2 mg | 418.2 mg | 238.97 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Copper | 14.588 mg | 14.59 mg | 8.34 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Energy | 175 kcal | 175 kcal | – | FDC Energy (kcal) used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) | – |
| Omega-3: EPA + DHA | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Fat | 4.68 g | 4.68 g | 2.67 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Cholesterol | 381 mg | 381 mg | 217.71 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Fatty acids, total saturated | 2.53 g | 2.53 g | 1.45 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Fibre | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Folate | 260 µg | 260 µg | 148.57 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Iron | 6.17 mg | 6.17 mg | 3.53 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Magnesium | 22 mg | 22 mg | 12.57 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Niacin (B3, niacin equivalents) | 23.058 mg | 23.06 mg | 13.18 mg | listed used | Canadian Nutrient File 2026 #2657 | C |
| Phosphorus | 485 mg | 485 mg | 277.14 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Potassium | 351 mg | 351 mg | 200.57 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Protein | 26.52 g | 26.52 g | 15.15 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 3.425 mg | 3.43 mg | 1.96 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Selenium | 32.8 µg | 32.8 µg | 18.74 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Sodium | 77 mg | 77 mg | 44 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Sugars | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.177 mg | 0.18 mg | 0.1 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Vitamin A | 7,744 µg | 7,744 µg | 4,425.14 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Vitamin B12 | 83.13 µg | 83.13 µg | 47.5 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Vitamin B6 | 1.027 mg | 1.03 mg | 0.59 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Vitamin C | 0.7 mg | 0.7 mg | 0.4 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Vitamin D | 1.2 µg | 1.2 µg | 0.69 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Vitamin E | 0.46 mg | 0.46 mg | 0.26 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Vitamin K1 | 3.9 µg | 3.9 µg | 2.23 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Water | 62.01 g | 62.01 g | 35.43 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Zinc | 5.23 mg | 5.23 mg | 2.99 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per serving | Per 100 calories | How | Source | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beta-carotene | 182 µg | 182 µg | 104 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Ash | 1.63 g | 1.63 g | 0.93 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Alcohol, ethyl | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Caffeine | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Theobromine | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Energy | 734 kj | 734 kj | 419.43 kj | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Fluoride, F | 5 µg | 5 µg | 2.86 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Vitamin A, IU | 26,088 iu | 26,088 iu | 14,907.43 iu | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Carotene, alpha | 11 µg | 11 µg | 6.29 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Vitamin D (D2 + D3), International Units | 49 iu | 49 iu | 28 iu | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) | 1.2 µg | 1.2 µg | 0.69 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Cryptoxanthin, beta | 21 µg | 21 µg | 12 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Lycopene | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Tocopherol, beta | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Tocopherol, gamma | 0.06 mg | 0.06 mg | 0.03 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Tocopherol, delta | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Tocotrienol, alpha | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Tocotrienol, beta | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Tocotrienol, gamma | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Tocotrienol, delta | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Vitamin K (Dihydrophylloquinone) | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Folic acid | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Folate, food | 260 µg | 260 µg | 148.57 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Folate, DFE | 260 µg | 260 µg | 148.57 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Betaine | 6.3 mg | 6.3 mg | 3.6 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Tryptophan | 0.335 g | 0.34 g | 0.19 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Threonine | 1.108 g | 1.11 g | 0.63 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Isoleucine | 1.233 g | 1.23 g | 0.7 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Leucine | 2.435 g | 2.44 g | 1.39 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Lysine | 2.048 g | 2.05 g | 1.17 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Methionine | 0.692 g | 0.69 g | 0.4 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Cystine | 0.479 g | 0.48 g | 0.27 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Phenylalanine | 1.382 g | 1.38 g | 0.79 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Tyrosine | 1.029 g | 1.03 g | 0.59 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Valine | 1.606 g | 1.61 g | 0.92 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Arginine | 1.582 g | 1.58 g | 0.9 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Histidine | 0.802 g | 0.8 g | 0.46 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Alanine | 1.484 g | 1.48 g | 0.85 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Aspartic acid | 2.456 g | 2.46 g | 1.4 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Glutamic acid | 3.33 g | 3.33 g | 1.9 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Glycine | 1.484 g | 1.48 g | 0.85 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Proline | 1.225 g | 1.23 g | 0.7 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Serine | 1.154 g | 1.15 g | 0.66 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Hydroxyproline | 0.046 g | 0.05 g | 0.03 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Vitamin E, added | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Vitamin B-12, added | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Fatty acids, total trans | 0.335 g | 0.34 g | 0.19 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| SFA 4:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| SFA 6:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| SFA 8:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| SFA 10:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| SFA 12:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| SFA 14:0 | 0.037 g | 0.04 g | 0.02 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| SFA 16:0 | 0.724 g | 0.72 g | 0.41 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| SFA 18:0 | 1.68 g | 1.68 g | 0.96 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| SFA 20:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| MUFA 18:1 | 0.987 g | 0.99 g | 0.56 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| PUFA 18:2 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| PUFA 18:3 | 0.036 g | 0.04 g | 0.02 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| PUFA 20:4 | 0.308 g | 0.31 g | 0.18 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| PUFA 22:6 n-3 (DHA) | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| SFA 22:0 | 0.015 g | 0.02 g | 0.01 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| MUFA 14:1 | 0.003 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| MUFA 16:1 | 0.086 g | 0.09 g | 0.05 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| PUFA 18:4 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| MUFA 20:1 | 0.008 g | 0.01 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| PUFA 20:5 n-3 (EPA) | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| MUFA 22:1 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| PUFA 22:5 n-3 (DPA) | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Fatty acids, total monounsaturated | 1.106 g | 1.11 g | 0.63 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated | 1.021 g | 1.02 g | 0.58 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| SFA 15:0 | 0.014 g | 0.01 g | 0.01 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| SFA 17:0 | 0.06 g | 0.06 g | 0.03 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| PUFA 20:2 n-6 c,c | 0.017 g | 0.02 g | 0.01 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| PUFA 18:2 n-6 c,c | 0.624 g | 0.62 g | 0.36 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| PUFA 18:3 n-6 c,c,c | 0.019 g | 0.02 g | 0.01 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| MUFA 17:1 | 0.021 g | 0.02 g | 0.01 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| PUFA 20:3 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| MUFA 15:1 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| PUFA 18:3 n-3 c,c,c (ALA) | 0.017 g | 0.02 g | 0.01 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Lutein + zeaxanthin | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Manganese | 0.356 mg | 0.36 mg | 0.2 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Niacin (B3, preformed) | 17.475 mg | 17.48 mg | 9.99 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 6.943 mg | 6.94 mg | 3.97 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
| Retinol | 7,728 µg | 7,728 µg | 4,416 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168627 | C |
Change the amount to rescale the first column. Nutrients a database doesn't list are missing, not zero.
Absorption studies
Studies of how much of a nutrient gets in; those done in animals are marked. This page quotes a figure only from a study that passes our screen: adults, graded A, of this food in this preparation, with a test dose on record and a source that has passed our evidence check. The exception is calcium on our calcium card: its figure comes from the card’s own study, checked with the card, and is marked “used” even where that study misses a step of this screen. The others are listed so nothing is hidden, each with the first check it fails.
No study of this food passes the screen yet, so no absorption figure is quoted.
| Study | Nutrient | Absorbed | Test dose | People | Grade | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferritin iron (biosynthetically labelled ferritin, a liver iron compound), test dose, normal plus iron-deficient subjects not stated · biosynthetically labelled ferritin, not liver as eaten · load not reported abstract only | Iron | 1.9 % | not reported | 108 | B | Not used: we haven’t confirmed how the food was prepared in this study. |
| Hemosiderin iron (biosynthetically labelled hemosiderin, a liver iron compound), normal plus iron-deficient subjects not stated · biosynthetically labelled hemosiderin, not liver as eaten · load not reported abstract only | Iron | 3.4 % | not reported | 61 | B | Not used: we haven’t confirmed how the food was prepared in this study. |
Hazard rows as the dataset rates them
- Alpha-gal syndrome · Worth knowing · Flagged for people with alpha-gal syndrome: mammalian meat, including organ meats, is a trigger. The CDC's products page names organ meats; its about page lists beef, pork, lamb, venison and rabbit. · US CDC, Products that may contain alpha-gal · A
- Aluminum · Nothing to watch: under the limit · No cap: EFSA's tolerable weekly intake for aluminium is 1 mg/kg body weight/week, 70,000 µg a week. Eaten alone, about 141,000 g of liver a week would reach it, on a lower-bound Health Canada mean of 494.8 µg/kg (17 composites). Results differ widely between sampling periods and no explanation was sought. · EFSA 2018 · A
- Arsenic, all forms · Context · Context only: total arsenic has no reference value; the inorganic share is not reported for meat. · Health Canada Total Diet Study, trace elements · A
- Cadmium · Nothing to watch: under the limit · A daily serving adds 19% to an average adult's cadmium intake (EFSA 2012 adult median, 1.77 µg/kg body weight/week; Canadian adults in 2007: 1.2-1.75), far from doubling it, so no cap. · Health Canada Total Diet Study, trace elements · A
- Dietary cholesterol · Context · Context, no cap. Chicken liver 563 mg/100 g. · US food database (USDA SR Legacy) · C
- Copper · Limit it: weekly or less · Weekly or less: EFSA's acceptable daily intake for copper is 0.07 mg/kg body weight/day, 5 mg a day for adults, set so that no copper is expected to build up in the liver. Eaten alone, about 33.6 g of cooked liver in a day would reach it (4.9 mg for 70 kg at 0.14588 mg per g); Health Canada's upper intake level is 10,000 µg/day (68.6 g). One 100 g serving carries 14.6 mg, 3.0 times EFSA's daily value and 1.5 times the Canadian level. It is a chronic daily limit. Separately, EFSA's 2024 opinion on vitamin A finds that Europeans are unlikely to exceed the vitamin A upper level if liver and offal are eaten once a month or less; that advice is about vitamin A, not copper. · US food database (USDA SR Legacy) · C
- Charring compounds · Context · Context only (same as ground beef pan-browned). No liver-specific HCA or PAH measurement found. · IARC 2015 · B
- Lead · Nothing to watch: doesn’t double average intake · No cap: no safe threshold is set for lead; EFSA's 2010 reference point is a benchmark dose lower limit (BMDL01) of 0.5 µg/kg body weight/day. Judged by what a serving adds to the average adult's intake of about 35 µg/day (EFSA 2012): a 100 g serving carries 1.6 µg, about 5%. The Health Canada mean is 16.08 µg/kg across 17 composites; German monitoring figures run about 1.4 to 2 times higher. · Health Canada Total Diet Study, trace elements · A
- Nickel · Nothing to watch: under the limit · No cap: EFSA's 2020 tolerable daily intake for nickel is 13 µg/kg body weight/day, 910 µg a day. Eaten alone, about 27,600 g of liver a day would reach it, on a lower-bound Health Canada mean of 33.0 µg/kg (16 composites). · EFSA 2020 · A
- Purines and gout · Not rated yet · Not rated for people with gout or hyperuricemia: the only reference is a Japanese dietary recommendation of 400 mg purines a day, seen through Kaneko 2014 rather than an agency document, so no reference is established. Raw beef liver measures 219.8 mg purines per 100 g (HPLC, Kaneko 2014, four purine bases), measured raw; no pan-fried figure was found, so the raw value stands in here. For scale only, 400 mg would be reached at about 182 g of raw liver. · Kaneko 2014 · B
- Preformed vitamin A (retinol) · Limit it: weekly or less · Weekly or less: the tolerable upper intake level (UL) for preformed vitamin A is 3,000 µg RE a day (EFSA 2024; Health Canada 3,000 µg RAE, preformed only), set against birth defects. Eaten alone, about 38.8 g of cooked liver in one day would reach it if nothing else supplies retinol, and one 100 g serving is 2.6 times the daily UL. EFSA states populations are unlikely to exceed the UL if liver is eaten once a month or less. Averaged over a week, one 100 g serving (retinol 7,728 µg, USDA) is 1,104 µg a day, 37% of the daily UL; EFSA and CoFID figures run 2.2 to 2.4 times higher and average about 90% or more. Retinol in liver varies several-fold by species, feed and country, so 38.8 g is an upper bound on grams (16 to 17 g on those figures). · US food database (USDA SR Legacy) · C
- Vitamin A in pregnancy · Worth knowing · Flagged for women who are or plan to be pregnant: EFSA 2024 advises against eating liver products, and the Public Health Agency of Canada advises limiting liver. Neither states a dose; the 3,000 µg RE upper intake level (38.8 g of this liver) is the figure to count against. The agencies differ in strength, and the human data conflict on the main teratogenic metabolite, all-trans retinoic acid: Buss 1994 found it up to 20 times lower after calf liver than after a supplement of the same retinol dose, while van Vliet 2001 found it, to a lesser extent, higher after liver paste. van Vliet 2001 and Hartmann 2005 both found 13-cis metabolites higher after liver. · EFSA 2024 · A
Sources
- US CDC, Products that may contain alpha-gal (Fast Facts)
cdc-alpha-gal-products· page · US government work (public domain) - Health Canada, Canadian Nutrient File 2026 (14th edition)
cnf-2026· dataset · Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0 - EFSA FAF Panel, Re-evaluation of aluminium sulphates (E 520-523), sodium aluminium phosphate (E 541), potassium aluminium silicate (E 555) and others as food additives, EFSA J 2018;16(7):5372 (PMC7009639) · doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2018.5372 · doi.org
efsa-2018-aluminium-sulphates· full text read · CC BY (EFSA) - EFSA CONTAM Panel (2020). Update of the risk assessment of nickel in food and drinking water. EFSA Journal 18(11):6268 (PMC7643711) · doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2020.6268 · doi.org
efsa-2020-nickel· full text read · CC BY (EFSA Journal) - EFSA NDA Panel (2024). Scientific opinion on the tolerable upper intake level for preformed vitamin A and beta-carotene. EFSA Journal 22(6):e8814 · doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2024.8814
efsa-2024-vitamin-a-ul· full text read · licence not recorded - USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, 2018-04
fdc-sr-legacy-2018-04· dataset · CC0 1.0 (public domain) - Health Canada. Total Diet Study trace elements, open.canada.ca dataset 83934503, English resource 9c988c19-07ae-4aa4-8496-84658b6b0c45; composites pooled as an equal-weight mean per TDS food code, non-detects stored as 0.
hc-tds-trace-elements-open-canada· secondary source · Open Government Licence - Canada - IARC, Q&A on the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat (2015)
iarc-vol114-qa-2015· full text read · IARC 2015, all rights reserved - Kaneko K, et al. (2014) Total purine and purine base content of common foodstuffs for facilitating nutritional therapy for gout and hyperuricemia. Biol Pharm Bull 37(5):709-721 · doi:10.1248/bpb.b13-00967 · PMID 24553148
kaneko-2014-purines· secondary source · J-STAGE open access - Layrisse M, Martinez-Torres C, Renzy M, Leets I (1975 May) Ferritin iron absorption in man. Blood · PMID 1120190
pmid:1120190· abstract only · licence not recorded - Martinez-Torres C, Renzi M, Layrisse M (1976 Jan) Iron absorption by humans from hemosiderin and ferritin, further studies. J Nutr · PMID 1245887
pmid:1245887· abstract only · licence not recorded
Body map 2026-10-25.1: each nutrient’s job comes from an agency fact sheet, linked beside it under Good for.
The plain words: “a lot” means one serving (100 g when the food has no serving size) gives at least 20% of the daily amount (the reference intake), “some” at least 10%, “a little” at least 2% (the cut-offs are ours, one set for every page: 20% and 10% are borrowed from the US labelling terms “high” and “good source” and applied to Health Canada’s daily amount, whereas Health Canada’s own shopper rule says 15%; provisional: they may change in a later method version). The daily amount is Health Canada’s Dietary Reference Intake for adults 19–30; where men and women need different amounts we use the higher one (protein: 56 g for men, 46 g for women). The percentage printed under each nutrient is the printed amount as a share of that daily amount, rounded to the nearest whole number, and the word is read from that percentage, so the amount, the percentage and the word always agree. Calcium with a measured absorption is scaled by how well it gets in compared with milk.
The scale: “Nothing to watch” means a serving a day stays under the limit at ordinary amounts; “Go easy” means a serving a day can push past the limit for adults who already take in the most, or fewer than 2 servings reach it; “Limit it” means once a week or less. The dataset’s own rating is under “How we got this”. Provisional: the scale may change in a later method version.
Measured absorption under Good for: grade-A studies in adults that tested this preparation of this food, as a share of the listed amount (the share digested, for protein), quoted once each source has passed our evidence check; animal studies and other variants stay in the table above. Provisional: this screen may change in a later method version.