Vitamin C is a ubiquitous compound in most plants and animals, with humans being a notable exception due to random genetic mutations resulting in our inability to synthesize the vitamin. Thus, it is essential for humans to consume adequate amounts of the vitamin through dietary sources or via supplementation to prevent the potentially fatal deficiency disease scurvy, which is still present today, even in high income settings. The predominant source of dietary vitamin C is fresh fruit and vegetables, with grains, pulses and most animal products containing negligible amounts of the vitamin. As such, populations in countries that rely heavily on staple foods can be prone to hypovitaminosis C. Furthermore, vitamin C intake and status can be affected by various factors including environmental factors, such as geographic region, climate, season, and pollution, socioeconomic factors, such as deprivation and institutionalization, demographic aspects, e.g., sex, age, race, and health-related factors such as smoking, body weight, pregnancy/lactation, genetic variants and acute and chronic illnesses. Currently, there is little alignment or harmonization of global dietary intake recommendations for the vitamin and important moderating factors such as smoking status and higher body weight are not yet taken into consideration by most authorities.