That\u2019s concerning for experts, who say vitamin D is essential \u2014 it\u2019s known to help the body absorb calcium, which strengthens bones and teeth<\/a>. Research<\/a> also suggests vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for developing multiple sclerosis.<\/a><\/p>\n Other ways to get vitamin D include through diet and supplements, like pills or drops.<\/p>\n While Health Canada has required milk and other products to have vitamin D added in for decades, it has increased the amount to ensure more people are meeting the recommended daily dose.<\/p>\n In 2022, under its food fortification strategy, Health Canada created a new regulation<\/a> that allowed companies to voluntarily more than double the amount of vitamin D in cow\u2019s milk, goat\u2019s milk and nearly double it in margarine.<\/p>\n As of Dec. 31, 2025, the regulation became mandatory.<\/p>\n For milk, this means it went from having roughly 2.3 micrograms to five micrograms of vitamin D per cup, whereas for margarine it\u2019s now about 13 micrograms per 50 grams<\/a>, or about three tablespoons.<\/p>\n Experts say vitamin D tablets are one way to help people, especially older adults, meet their recommended daily dose. (Mark Lennihan\/Associated Press)<\/p>\n \u201cBy using mandatory fortification with very common foods, it becomes a more equitable approach to ensure that the whole population gets the benefit,\u201d said Mary L\u2019Abb\u00e9, director of the World Health Organization\u2019s Collaborating Centre on Nutrition Policy for Non-Communicable Disease Prevention.<\/p>\n Yogurt, kefir and plant-based beverages are also allowed to include vitamin D, though they aren\u2019t required to have it. As more people switch over to non-dairy drinks, Health Canada said it was important to ensure vitamin D was also included in alternatives.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the recommended daily amount of vitamin D?\u00a0<\/p>\n Depending on your age, Health Canada recommends varying allowances<\/a> per day. For babies, it\u2019s 10 micrograms, for older kids and adults, it’s 15 micrograms, and older adults should have 20 micrograms.<\/p>\n If a cup of milk now has five micrograms, that would mean having two to four cups of milk, depending on your age, to meet the recommended daily allowance, if it\u2019s your sole source of vitamin D.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to have at least four to five dairy products per day, which is not always possible,\u201d said Despoina Manousaki, a pediatric endocrinologist who studies bone health and an associate professor at the University of Montreal.<\/p>\n She said that would include drinking a couple of glasses of milk, having yogurt and some sort of cheese. Other food sources<\/a> with naturally occurring vitamin D include egg yolks and fatty fish, according to Health Canada.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that vitamin D supplementation is pretty effective, easy and cheap and helps maintain normal levels,\u201d Manousaki said.<\/p>\n![\"Vitamin](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ae2a56927cff258e537d30a796a7eb6e.jpeg\"\/)
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