Choline is also naturally found in certain foods, such as egg yolks and liver, as phosphatidylcholine. Natural dietary sources of choline such as these can also be high in fat and cholesterol, however. They may be undesirable or impractical to consume in large quantity for other reasons, including allergenicity. Many of these dietary sources are foods frequently refused by infants and children.

Choline is ideal for food fortification because, unlike many vitamins, it exhibits excellent stability in harsh processing conditions. It is easy to add to a variety of food systems, and it imparts a negligible negative sensory effect to the foods to which it is added.

Though choline is a mainstay in dietary supplement products, it is appearing in more and more nationally-branded fortified consumer food products each year as well: