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Nutrient comparisonUSDA survey foods

Iron in foods and meals: compare USDA values

Iron estimates reflect the foods and proportions represented by a source record. The table ranks milligrams per 100 grams, then shows the listed serving because a dense food eaten in a small amount may contribute less than a larger mixed meal.

Read the rank carefully

Concentration and portion answer different questions.

This dataset does not distinguish every factor that affects iron absorption, and a food value cannot diagnose low iron status. Laboratory testing and clinical interpretation belong with a qualified professional.

Boundary: Needs differ by age, sex, pregnancy, health status, and other factors; this comparison is educational rather than an individualized target.

The shape behind the leaderboard

A rank is easier to interpret when zero and missing stay visible.

Reported zero is a value; missing is the absence of a value in Feast’s panel. The ranking lists only positive records, while these summaries use every reported value—including zero—so a sparse nutrient does not acquire an artificially elevated “typical” value.

Reported-value midpoint1.1 mgmedian per 100 g, reported zeros included
90th-percentile boundary2.9 mg9 in 10 records with a reported value are at or below this point
Observed maximum46.6 mgone exact source record, not a general expectation
Value coverage3,850 / 3,8503,745 positive · 105 zero · 0 missing

Practical food and meal matches

Food and meal records with higher reported iron per 100 grams

This view omits sauces, condiments, beverages, snacks, desserts, powders, isolates, supplements, and dry mixes so a meal-oriented search is not answered by lard, whey powder, or a concentrated sauce. It also caps repeated food families and broad categories before gradually widening the selection, so dozens of near-identical preparations do not crowd out other useful matches. The filter is editorial, not nutritional: excluded records remain valid source data.

Practical food and meal records ranked by iron per 100 grams
Rank and foodPer 100 gPer source servingServing context
01Cereal, O's, multigrainBreakfast foods 46.6 mg 14 mg≈ 78% label Daily Value Source amount30 g source weight112 kcal in that amount
02Cereal, O's, plainBreakfast foods 30.9 mg 9.3 mg≈ 52% label Daily Value Source amount30 g source weight112 kcal in that amount
03Cereal, oat squaresBreakfast foods 30.1 mg 13.5 mg≈ 75% label Daily Value Source amount45 g source weight171 kcal in that amount
04Cereal, other, plainBreakfast foods 29.4 mg 8.8 mg≈ 49% label Daily Value Source amount30 g source weight111 kcal in that amount
05Cereal, K's, plainBreakfast foods 29.3 mg 10.3 mg≈ 57% label Daily Value Source amount35 g source weight125 kcal in that amount
06Cereal, corn squaresBreakfast foods 28.5 mg 8.6 mg≈ 48% label Daily Value Source amount30 g source weight111 kcal in that amount
07Cereal, oat bunchesBreakfast foods 28.2 mg 12.7 mg≈ 71% label Daily Value Source amount45 g source weight176 kcal in that amount
08Cereal, bran flakes, plainBreakfast foods 28.1 mg 14.1 mg≈ 78% label Daily Value Source amount50 g source weight181 kcal in that amount
09Cereal, corn flakes, plainBreakfast foods 28 mg 8.4 mg≈ 47% label Daily Value Source amount30 g source weight110 kcal in that amount
10Cereal, corn puffsBreakfast foods 28 mg 7 mg≈ 39% label Daily Value Source amount25 g source weight93 kcal in that amount
11Cereal, wheat squaresBreakfast foods 27.8 mg 16.7 mg≈ 93% label Daily Value Source amount60 g source weight214 kcal in that amount
12Cereal, shredded wheat, flavoredBreakfast foods 27.7 mg 13.9 mg≈ 77% label Daily Value Source amount50 g source weight184 kcal in that amount
13Peanut butter, vitamin and mineral fortifiedBeans, nuts & protein foods 16.6 mg 5.3 mg≈ 30% label Daily Value Source amount32 g source weight189 kcal in that amount
14Liver, chickenMeat & poultry 10.1 mg 8.6 mg≈ 48% label Daily Value Source amount85 g source weight161 kcal in that amount
15Pumpkin seeds, unsaltedBeans, nuts & protein foods 8.1 mg 2.3 mg≈ 13% label Daily Value Source amount28 g source weight161 kcal in that amount
16Pumpkin seeds, saltedBeans, nuts & protein foods 8 mg 2.2 mg≈ 12% label Daily Value Source amount28 g source weight159 kcal in that amount
17Papad, grilled or broiledBeans, nuts & protein foods 7.8 mg 0.7 mg≈ 4% label Daily Value Source amount9 g source weight33 kcal in that amount
18Chia seedsBeans, nuts & protein foods 7.7 mg 0.7 mg≈ 4% label Daily Value Source amount9 g source weight44 kcal in that amount
19Textured vegetable protein, dryBeans, nuts & protein foods 7.3 mg 1.2 mg≈ 7% label Daily Value Source amount17 g source weight62 kcal in that amount
20Grits, instant, made with water, no added fatPasta, rice & grains 7.3 mg 17.6 mg≈ 98% label Daily Value Source amount240 g source weight156 kcal in that amount
21Oysters, cannedFish & seafood 7.3 mg 6.2 mg≈ 34% label Daily Value Source amount85 g source weight63 kcal in that amount
22Grits, instant, made with water, fat addedPasta, rice & grains 7.1 mg 17 mg≈ 95% label Daily Value Source amount240 g source weight204 kcal in that amount
23TahiniBeans, nuts & protein foods 7 mg 2 mg≈ 11% label Daily Value Source amount28 g source weight195 kcal in that amount
24Sesame seedsBeans, nuts & protein foods 6.4 mg 1.8 mg≈ 10% label Daily Value Source amount28 g source weight177 kcal in that amount
25Liver, beefMeat & poultry 6.1 mg 5.2 mg≈ 29% label Daily Value Source amount85 g source weight148 kcal in that amount
26Cashews, unroastedBeans, nuts & protein foods 6 mg 1.7 mg≈ 9% label Daily Value Source amount28 g source weight161 kcal in that amount
27Oysters, steamedFish & seafood 5.8 mg 5 mg≈ 28% label Daily Value Source amount85 g source weight55 kcal in that amount
28Cashews, unsaltedBeans, nuts & protein foods 5.8 mg 1.6 mg≈ 9% label Daily Value Source amount28 g source weight164 kcal in that amount
29Cashews, lightly saltedBeans, nuts & protein foods 5.8 mg 1.6 mg≈ 9% label Daily Value Source amount28 g source weight163 kcal in that amount
30Flax seedsBeans, nuts & protein foods 5.8 mg 0.5 mg≈ 3% label Daily Value Source amount9 g source weight49 kcal in that amount
31Oysters, baked or broiledFish & seafood 5.7 mg 4.9 mg≈ 27% label Daily Value Source amount85 g source weight88 kcal in that amount
32Dove, friedMeat & poultry 5.7 mg 4.9 mg≈ 27% label Daily Value Source amount85 g source weight190 kcal in that amount
33Beef jerkyMeat & poultry 5.4 mg 1.6 mg≈ 9% label Daily Value Source amount30 g source weight123 kcal in that amount
34Bread, white, special formula, added fiber, toastedBreads & baked goods 5.4 mg 1.3 mg≈ 7% label Daily Value Source amount25 g source weight66 kcal in that amount
35Bread, whole grain white, toastedBreads & baked goods 5.4 mg 1.8 mg≈ 10% label Daily Value Source amount33 g source weight86 kcal in that amount
36Shrimp, driedFish & seafood 5.3 mg 4.5 mg≈ 25% label Daily Value Source amount85 g source weight213 kcal in that amount

This is a descriptive ranking, not a list of recommended portions. Values are rounded for readability; each linked profile retains the source details.

Outside the meal-oriented view

What the practical filter sets aside.

These are the highest reported per-100-gram records excluded from the practical table—not a repetition of foods already shown above. Concentrated fats, powders, sauces, beverages, and snack foods can legitimately lead a composition database while being poor answers to a search for an ordinary meal. Keeping them visible makes the editorial boundary auditable.

A three-step comparison

Move from a ranked record to your actual meal.

  1. 01

    Match the description

    Open the closest record and check its exact USDA food description, ingredients implied by the name, and preparation style.

  2. 02

    Match the amount

    Use the household portions or gram calculator instead of assuming the database's source serving equals what you ate.

  3. 03

    Add what the record misses

    Brands, recipes, sauces, cooking fat, fortification, and substitutions can change the reported iron value and the rest of the nutrient profile.

A concrete denominator reversal

The denser record can still contribute less in its listed serving.

This is why Feast shows both columns. The comparison below is arithmetic from two source records—not a recommended portion and not evidence that one food is healthier.

Why two versions of the same meal can differ

Food names are useful search labels, not complete recipes. A restaurant dish, homemade version, frozen entrée, and school meal may share a familiar name while using different ingredients and portions. Water loss during cooking can also raise the reported amount per 100 grams without adding energy or nutrients to the original ingredients.

USDA survey-food records are valuable because they provide a traceable comparison point. They do not remove normal variation. For a packaged item, use the current label; for a homemade dish, a weighed recipe can be more specific than a generic record; for an unweighed plate, keep the result as an estimate.

Daily Value is context, not a prescription

The general U.S. food-label Daily Value used here is 18 mg; FDA Daily Values apply to adults and children age 4 or older. Percentages are calculated only to make a source serving easier to interpret. They are not personalized requirements and should not be applied as treatment targets.

For label interpretation, see the FDA's Nutrition Facts guide. For corpus provenance and calculations, read Feast's nutrition-page methodology.

Common questions

Using this comparison responsibly

What does a per-100-gram value mean?

It is the reported amount of iron in 100 grams of the USDA reference food. Holding weight constant helps compare concentration, but it does not describe the amount in every person’s serving.

Does a higher per-100-gram rank mean a meal is better?

No. The rank describes one energy or nutrient metric relative to food weight. It does not score the whole meal, account for individual needs, or replace the serving, ingredient, and preparation context.

Will my meal match the USDA value?

Not necessarily. Recipe, brand, cooking method, additions, and portion weight can all change the total. Use the linked profile as a reference and compare its exact description with your food.

Decision support from the exact records on this page

Turn source data into a better next decision

These conclusions and reading paths are computed from 11 exact records behind Iron ranking landmarks. Links are chosen by record identity, controlled contrast, formulation input, nutrient spread, or serving context—not by loose keyword similarity.

Equal-weight result

Cereal, O's, multigrain is higher in iron per 100 g

Cereal, O's, multigrain reports 46.6 mg versus 7.3 mg for Grits, instant, made with water, no added fat: a 39.3 mg difference when both are normalized to 100 g.

Inspect the underlying evidence

The denominator changes the answer

Cereal, O's, multigrain is denser; Grits, instant, made with water, no added fat is higher in its source amount

Cereal, O's, multigrain reports 46.6 mg per 100 g and 14 mg in USDA source amount (30 g). Grits, instant, made with water, no added fat reports a lower 7.3 mg per 100 g but a higher 17.6 mg in USDA source amount (240 g).

Choose the record before reading the number

Cereal, O's, multigrain and Cereal, O's, plain are not interchangeable

The page keeps both records at the same 100 g denominator and makes the exact source description the explicit record-description contrast. It does not show that the wording difference caused a nutrient difference. Pick the description that matches the food in front of you rather than averaging away the distinction.

Inspect the underlying evidence

Contextual knowledge graph

Follow the relationship that matches your question

For Iron ranking landmarks, each path states why the destination belongs here, so you can distinguish a true evidentiary connection from a merely similar label.

Best next guide for this exact record Cereal

Cereal, bran flakes, plain and Cereal, corn squares are explicitly linked in this guide, which separates direct name matches from contextual variants.

Follow this evidence path Best next guide for this exact record Cereal, O's

Cereal, O's, multigrain and Cereal, O's, plain are explicitly linked in this guide, which separates direct name matches from contextual variants.

Follow this evidence path Compare two records on this page Cereal, O's, multigrain vs Cereal, O's, plain

Both records appear in this page’s evidence set. The explicit record-description contrast is Protein: 8.5 versus 12.4 g per 100 g; it is a selection cue, not evidence of cause.

Follow this evidence path 8 context records in this source topic Ready-to-eat cereal, lower sugar (=<21.2g/100g)

Cereal, O's, multigrain and Cereal, O's, plain belong to this USDA source-category collection. Its displayed ranges and complete exact-record catalog provide the peer set for a manual comparison; the destination does not preselect this page’s record.

Follow this evidence path A formulation detail that separates records Fiber, total dietary, as ingredient

USDA input 999291 appears in 6 of 11 context records; its summed listed input weight spans 0.1–1.8 g across those source formulations. These are source-formulation input weights, not plated or serving weights. Follow the code to inspect every represented occurrence.

Follow this evidence path A formulation detail that separates records Folic acid as ingredient

USDA input 999431 appears in 7 of 11 context records; its summed listed input weight spans 0–0.1 g across those source formulations. These are source-formulation input weights, not plated or serving weights. Follow the code to inspect every represented occurrence.

Follow this evidence path Test a nearby record choice Grits, instant, made with water, fat added vs Grits, instant, made with water, no added fat

Grits, instant, made with water, no added fat is held as one side of the comparison. The explicit record-description contrast is Added-fat wording: added fat versus no added fat; it is a selection cue, not evidence of cause.

Follow this evidence path