Buying folic acid: comparing µg, form and label
Futures Nutrition Editorial Team · 12 August 2026
Buying folic acid: comparing µg, form and label
The short answer: three lines on the pack decide it — the amount per daily dose (not per tablet), the folate source in the ingredients list and the number of tablets that make up that daily dose. Everything else on the front is either derived from those or advertising. Anyone who compares only the big number on the display side is comparing two products that may differ in substance.
The commonest false conclusion: "400 µg" on two packs does not necessarily mean the same amount. If one contains folic acid and the other a 5-MTHF compound, different conversion factors into folate equivalents apply — and if the daily dose of one pack consists of two tablets, the tin lasts half as long as expected.
What has to be on the pack
This is not a matter of the manufacturer's discretion, it is regulated. In addition to the general particulars of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, § 4 of the German Food Supplements Ordinance (NemV) requires:
- the designation "food supplement"
- the names of the categories of nutrients that characterise the product, or an indication of their nature
- the recommended daily intake, expressed in portions
- the warning: "The stated recommended daily intake must not be exceeded."
- a statement that food supplements are not a substitute for a balanced and varied diet
- a statement that the product is to be stored out of the reach of young children
- the amount of the nutrient in relation to the stated daily intake — as an average value from the manufacturer's analysis
- the percentage of the reference value under Annex XIII of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011
If one of these particulars is missing, the product may not be marketed in Germany. With goods from third countries brought in via marketplaces this happens precisely — and then the analysis on which the quantity declaration is supposed to rest is usually missing too.
The reference figure: 200 µg
The percentage on the pack is calculated against the nutrient reference value (NRV) for folic acid from Annex XIII of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011: 200 µg per day. From this follows the mental arithmetic:
| Statement on the pack | Amount per daily dose |
|---|---|
| 100 % NRV | 200 µg |
| 200 % NRV | 400 µg |
| 250 % NRV | 500 µg |
| 400 % NRV | 800 µg |
| 500 % NRV | 1,000 µg |
The NRV is a pure labelling value, not a recommendation: it applies uniformly to all adults and does not differentiate by life situation. Which intake applies to whom — 300 µg folate equivalents according to D-A-CH, 400 µg additionally when trying to conceive — is set out in Folic acid daily requirement: 200, 300 or 400 µg?.
Which folate sources are permitted
Not every folate compound may be used in food supplements. Under Directive 2002/46/EC there are three:
| Designation in the ingredients list | What it is |
|---|---|
| Pteroylmonoglutamic acid | the classic synthetic folic acid |
| Calcium-L-methylfolate | 5-MTHF as the calcium salt |
| 5-MTHF glucosamine | 5-MTHF as the glucosamine salt, added by Regulation (EU) 2015/414 |
The difference does not show up in the nutrition table: there it says "folic acid" in all three cases, with the reference value of 200 µg. You can only know it from the ingredients list. What speaks for one form and what for the other is set out in Folic acid or folate: where the difference lies.
A note on advertising terms: "active folate", "natural folate" or "bioactive" are not protected descriptions. They say nothing about which of the three permitted compounds is in the product — only the chemical name says that.
How many µg per daily dose?
Three figures set the frame, and they come from three different questions:
- 200 µg — the maximum level that the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) proposes for folic acid per recommended daily portion of a food supplement in its opinion 009/2024 of 22 February 2024. The proposal is addressed to risk management and is intended to become the basis for binding EU maximum levels; such maximum levels have not been laid down so far.
- 400 µg — the amount that the BfR and the DGE recommend to women who want to or could become pregnant, and to pregnant women in the first trimester, expressly in addition to a folate-rich diet. The BfR expressly exempts this group from its 200 µg proposal.
- 1,000 µg — the tolerable upper intake level (UL) for adults derived by the EFSA. It applies to synthetic folic acid and the permitted 5-MTHF compounds from all sources taken together, not to folate from ordinary foods.
In practice this means: the pack says what is in it; it does not say which amount suits your own situation. Anyone also using a multi-preparation or fortified cereals has to add in their folic acid share — the upper limit refers to the total.
Daily dose does not mean tablet
The quantity declaration refers to the recommended daily intake, not to the individual tablet. If the back says "Recommended intake: 2 capsules daily", then the 400 µg in the nutrition table are the sum of both — each capsule contains 200 µg, and 120 capsules last 60 days, not 120.
This distinction decides two things: the actual price, and whether the pack lasts over the planned period. When trying to conceive and in early pregnancy that period is concrete — at least four weeks before conception until the end of the first third, so a good four months in total. A 60-day pack does not cover that.
Comparing prices: per daily dose, not per pack
The calculation is simple and regularly changes the ranking on the shelf:
Pack price ÷ (number of units ÷ units per daily dose) = price per day
A tin with 180 tablets and the recommendation "1 tablet daily" lasts 180 days. A tin with 120 capsules and "2 capsules daily" lasts 60 days — so it has to be bought three times to cover the same period. Only after this calculation are two prices comparable.
Ingredients list: short is a good sign
Besides the vitamin itself, every tablet contains excipients — fillers give it volume, anti-caking agents stop the powder sticking in the machine. Few of them are necessary. An example from our own range:
Folic acid 1000 µg lists three items in its ingredients: filler cellulose, anti-caking agent magnesium salts of fatty acids, pteroylmonoglutamic acid. The daily dose is one tablet with 1,000 µg, that is 500 % NRV — exactly the tolerable upper intake level for adults, and therefore a deliberately high strength that includes intake from other preparations and fortified foods. At one tablet a day, 180 tablets cover half a year. Further strengths and combinations are in the folic acid category.
Food supplements are not a substitute for a balanced and varied diet and a healthy lifestyle.
Combination products: what else is in them
Pure folic acid preparations are the exception; mostly the vitamin sits in a combination. Three points are worth a look:
Vitamin B12. A high folic acid intake can mask the blood count changes of a B12 deficiency while the neurological consequences carry on — the reason the upper limit of 1,000 µg was derived in the first place. Combination products with B12 are therefore common; they do not, however, replace diagnosis. The connection is set out in detail in Vitamin B12 and folic acid: why the gap gets hidden, and the matching strength is Vitamin B12 1000 µg.
Double routes. A multivitamin, a combination product and fortified table salt can add up. According to BfR figures, 2 g of folic-acid-fortified salt already deliver 200 µg of folic acid.
Amounts of the accompanying substances. Pregnancy combinations often contain iodine and iron. Whether and in what amount they make sense is a separate question — it should not be decided by the fact that they happen to be in the folic acid pack anyway.
What may be on the pack
Under Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, eight claims are authorised for folate; these five are the relevant ones here. Other efficacy promises are not — when comparing two products that is a usable signal:
Folate contributes to normal blood formation.
Folate contributes to normal amino acid synthesis.
Folate contributes to normal psychological function.
Folate contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
Folate contributes to maternal tissue growth during pregnancy.
Frequently asked questions
Is 5-MTHF the better choice than folic acid? The BfR describes the bioavailability of calcium-L-methylfolate as comparable with that of pteroylmonoglutamate. The difference lies in the metabolic pathway, not in the amount absorbed. For the prevention of neural tube defects the data on folic acid are by far the more extensive; the DGE formulates its recommendation as "400 µg synthetic folic acid or equivalent doses of other folates".
How do I recognise an overpriced product? By the calculation per daily dose, not by the pack price. Second point: with a single vitamin a high price is rarely justified by the formulation — the ingredients list of a folic acid preparation has three to five items. What drives the price is pack size, distribution channel and brand.
Does a preparation have to say "vegan" on the pack? No, that is a voluntary statement. It is relevant above all with capsules: the shell can be made of gelatine or of cellulose (HPMC). With tablets the question arises less often — there it is about the excipients, which are listed in full in the ingredients list.
Why does my pack say "pteroylmonoglutamic acid" instead of folic acid? It is the same substance: pteroylmonoglutamic acid is the chemical name of synthetic folic acid. In the nutrition table the short form "folic acid" may be used; in the ingredients list the permitted source is named.
