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Mammals we eat don't synthesize B-12 vitamin either. In the past they chewed on dirt and grass rich in microbial life and that somehow ended up as B-12 in their meat. Today animals live on the concrete floor covered with feces sludge (or bare ground covered with many feet thick layers of excrement) no self-respecting beneficial microbe want to call home. So where does meat gets its B-12 from these days? Do they supplement feed? Are there any studies on B-12 content of the grocery meats?
Your understanding of the synthesis of vitamin B12 is flawed.
B12 is not obtained by a cow consuming bacteria. It is actually produced by the normal resident intestinal bacteria of the animal, then absorbed, where some ends up in the meat.
I doubt that cows raised for food are standing in "many feet thick layers of excrement." In my neck of the woods, they are standing knee deep in grass.
See here for more than you want to know about beef cattle feed lots:
"The amount of vitamin B-12 in beef depends on the cut, lean fat-trimmed chuck contains the most vitamin B12 with 6.18μg (103% DV) per 100g serving, 11.49μg (103% DV) in a chuck steak, and 5.25μg (88% DV) in a 3 ounce serving. Chuck is followed by sirloin (62% DV), rib-eye (60% DV), and ribs (58% DV). "
Many animals are "finished" in cramped quarters, a feed-lot type situation.
But most of these animals DO NOT spend their whole lives in this situation.
It's true only of beef (that's why when I buy meat I buy beef), the rest of the industrially farmed animals live in squalor from birth to death. As for the feed lots, I've seen plenty with my own eyes (and nose), and it's not appetizing, mildly speaking. Don't forget about all those antibiotics, hormones and chemicals they feed to cattle, it affects cows guts and its microbial content in major ways.
I see frequently the claims just like this one "Once thought to occur only in vegetarians or the elderly, suboptimal B12 levels are found in nearly 40 percent of Americans of all ages, according to the recent Framingham Offspring Study." As a nation, we consume much more meat than we require (for protein). Don't forget about the vitamins, supplements and fortified cereals we consume. After consuming all that bounty 40% are B-12 deficient anyway. That's why I'm curious about B-12 content of grocery meats. USDA has a tacit policy to avoid discussions of differences in food quality and safety that may be a function of how food is grown and processed (it's obvious why, just look at the people who run USDA). So basically government doesn't fund this sort of studies, all you can find nutritional & "health" infotainment internet is overloaded with.
40% could have low B-12 due to diet (not eating meat, only eating minimal meat) AND due to health conditions that prevent their bodies from absorbing B-12. It's a very difficult vitamin for our bodies to absorb because it needs to go through three processes. You could fortify every single food I eat, and I'd still have a B-12 deficiency if I didn't get shots.
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