Daily Value as listed on the Nutrition Facts label

Daily Value and % Daily Value

First, let’s look at how the Recommended Daily Value (DV) and Recommended Daily Value (%DV) work together. The DV is the amount of a nutrient that is recommended to be consumed or not exceeded in a day. The %DV tells you how much a nutrient in an individual packaged food or serving of a dietary supplement contributes to your daily diet. For example, if the DV for a particular nutrient is 300 micrograms (mcg) and a serving of a packaged food or dietary supplement contains 30 mcg, then the %DV for that nutrient in one serving of the product is 10%. If you eat one serving of the product, you meet 10% of your daily need for that nutrient, and the remaining 90% can be obtained from other foods or supplements.

What nutrients must be listed on the Nutrition Facts label and/or Supplement Facts label?

The nutrition facts label includes total fat, saturated fat, Trance Fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, total sugars, added sugars, protein, and certain vitamins and minerals. The actual amounts and %DV for Vitamin D, Calcium, Iron, and Potassium must be listed, but other vitamins and minerals are optional for manufacturers to list.

However, if any vitamins or minerals have been added to the food, or the package label makes any statement about their health effects or the amount of them present in the food (e.g. “high” or “low”), this must be stated.

Similarly, if a supplement contains any nutrient in an amount greater than zero, the Supplement Facts label must list the same nutrient as the Nutrition Facts label. For more information, see 21 CFR 101.9(c).

The %DV can be used to tell you whether a serving of a food is high or low in a particular nutrient. As a general guide:

• If it’s 5% or less of a nutrient’s DV per serving, it’s considered low.
• Consuming 20% ​​or more of a nutrient’s DV per serving is considered a high intake.

More often, choose foods that:

• It is rich in dietary fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium.
• Low in saturated fat, sodium and added sugars.

Reference Guide: Daily Intake of Nutrients

A handy reference guide of all the daily values ​​found on the Nutrition Facts and Supplement Facts labels.

Measurement unit key:

g = grams
mg = milligrams
mcg = micrograms
mg NE = milligrams niacin equivalent
mcg DFE = dietary folate equivalents (micrograms)
mcg RAE = micrograms of retinol activity equivalents
IU = International Units

www.fda.gov/NutritionFactsLabel