Most nutrients listed in the Nutrition Facts panel on food labels are expressed as a Percent Daily Value (%DV). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) devised the DV to implement the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) of 1990. NLEA requires that the nutrition label enable consumers to understand the relative significance of a food’s nutrient content in the context of a health-promoting total daily diet. However, the science behind setting the DVs for most vitamins and minerals is at least 35 years old and these values are based on the 1968 Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs). In addition, the science behind the DVs for the macronutrients, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and fiber is at least 15 years old.
Providing current science on dietary nutrient needs, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) developed reports resulting from expert review of the RDAs. Initiated in 1993, the reviews have encompassed not only the science underlying the numerical values of the RDAs but also how the RDAs were used for diet planning, nutritional assessment, and nutrition policy development. The outcome has been a series of reports on a set of reference values for nutrient needs—collectively referred to as Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) (Table 1)—as well as on the appropriate use of the DRIs.
As a first step in revising the DVs to reflect current science, the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), along with Health Canada, asked the IOM to undertake a study of how to use the DRIs in nutrition labeling and fortification. An expert committee was charged with providing recommendations for translating the science of the DRI reports to reference values that could be used for the next revision of nutrition labeling regulations. The IOM committee released its report, Dietary Reference Intakes: Guiding Principles for Nutrition Labeling and Food Fortification, in December 2003. The report recommends 10 guiding principles for the FDA to consider in nutrition labeling (Table 2).
A major premise of the guiding principles is that the reference values used for food labeling are not target nutrient intakes for any one individual or population group, and are not intended for use in the planning of individual diets. Rather, the reference values are intended to meet the NLEA requirements. The committee concluded that a population-weighted Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) represents the most accurate reflection of the true contribution of a particular food to the total nutrient needs of the general population—defined as all individuals four years of age and older, excluding pregnant and lactating women. The EAR is one of the group of values of the DRI (see Table 1). The committee also recommended guiding principles for nutrients that lack an EAR (e.g., fiber, calcium, and vitamin D) or do not have a DRI (e.g., total fat, saturated fat, trans fats and cholesterol).
DVs based on a population-weighted EAR differ from those developed in the light of new scientific evidence. Past practice generally based the DVs for vitamins and minerals on the highest RDAs for all individuals in the general population: the logic was to set a value that covered the needs of almost every individual in the population to prevent deficiency. This approach, however, provides an exaggerated impression of the total daily needs for most people and systematically underrepresents the true contribution of an individual food to the population’s needs. For example, a one-ounce slice of whole wheat bread contains 1 milligram of iron: this is 5 percent of the current DV (which is based on the RDA of iron for women ages 31 to 50 years). Using a population-weighted EAR to establish the DV would result in a DV of 15 percent.
Revision of the DVs so that they are based on a population-weighted EAR will reduce the numerical values—and consequently increase the percent DV—for almost all vitamins and minerals. Application of the guiding principles for the macronutrients, fiber, and other food components may increase the numerical values for some and decrease them for others. Such changes might affect the values required for a product to make some nutrient content and health claims if the current criteria are retained, as they depend in part on the DVs. In addition, consumer research could help guide the FDA in rulemaking for revision of the DVs based on the 10 principles (see Table 2) and consumer education would facilitate consumer understanding of the new reference values on food labels.
Table 1.
Dietary Reference Intakes
[Note: The DRI, rather than a single value itself, is an umbrella term that refers to the following set of reference values for a particular nutrient.]
Estimated Average Requirement (EAR): the average daily nutrient intake level estimated to meet the requirements of half of the healthy individuals in a life stage and gender group—it is used to plan and assess dietary adequacies for
population groups.
Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA): the average daily dietary nutrient intake level sufficient to meet the nutrient requirement of nearly all (97 to 98 percent) healthy individuals in a particular life stage and gender group—it is derived from the EAR.
Adequate Intake (AI): the recommended average daily intake level based on observed or experimentally determined approximations or estimates of nutrient intake for a group (or groups) of apparently healthy people that are assumed to be adequate—it is used when an RDA cannot be determined.
Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL): the highest average daily nutrient intake level that is likely to pose no risk of adverse health effects for almost all individuals in the general population. As intake increases above the UL, the potential risk of adverse effects may increase.
Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range: a range of intakes of a particular energy source that is associated with a reduced risk of chronic disease while providing adequate intakes of essential nutrients—it is technically not a Dietary Reference Intake.
Table 2.
Guiding Principles for Nutrition Labeling
- Nutrition Information in the Nutrition Facts panel should continue to be expressed as percent Daily Value (%DV).
- The Daily Values (DVs) should be based on a population-weighted reference value.
- A population-weighted Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) should be the basis for DVs for those nutrients for which EARs have been identified.
- If no EAR has been set for a nutrient, then a population-weighted Adequate Intake (AI) should be used as the basis for the DV.
- The Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDRs) should be the basis for the macronutrients protein, total carbohydrate, and total fat.
- Two thousand calories (2,000 kcal) should be used, when needed, as the basis for expressing energy intake when developing DVs.
- The DVs for saturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, and cholesterol should be set at a level that is as low as possible in keeping with an achievable health-promoting diet.
- While the general population is best identified as all individuals 4 years of age and older, the committee recognized four distinctive life stages during which individuals’ nutrient needs are physiologically different from the main population. These are: infancy, toddlers ages 1 to 3 years, pregnancy, and lactation. Development of DVs for these groups should be guided by the following guiding principles:
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- Infants (age <1 year): one set of DVs based on the EARs or AIs of older infants (ages 7-12 months).
- Toddlers (ages 1-3 years): one set of DVs based on the
EARs or AIs.
- Pregnant Women: one set of DVs based on the population-weighted EARs or AIs for all Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) pregnancy groups.
- Lactating Women: one set of DVs based on the population weighted EARs or AIs for all DRI lactation groups.
- The Supplement Facts panel should use the same DVs as the Nutrition Facts panel.
- Absolute amounts should be included in the Nutrition Facts and Supplement Facts panels for all nutrients.
Source: Dietary Reference Intakes: Guiding Principles for Nutrition Labeling and Fortification (2003). Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine.
