Nutrition
Dairy through life
Contribution to nutrient intakes
Milk and dairy foods make an important contribution to the nutritional quality of our diets in Northern Ireland. They are the main providers of calcium, and dairy also supplies significant amounts of many other nutrients.
In Northern Ireland, the dairy food group makes the largest contribution to the intakes of calcium, iodine, vitamin B2 and vitamin B12
Contribution (%) of dairy foods to nutrient intakes in NI
| Nutrients | 4–10 years | 11–18 years | 19–64 years | 65 + years |
| Protein | 21 | 15 | 13 | 16 |
| Calcium | 45 | 37 | 37 | 43 |
| Potassium | 22 | 15 | 12 | 14 |
| Iodine | 55 | 44 | 35 | 39 |
| Zinc | 23 | 16 | 15 | 17 |
| Vitamin A | 24 | 18 | 17 | 15 |
| Vitamin B2 | 43 | 32 | 29 | 36 |
| Vitamin B12* | 54 | 40 | 35 | – |
Reference: National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Results from Years 5–9 (combined) of the Rolling Programme (2012/13–2016/17): Northern Ireland
* B12 intakes for years 1–4