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<< The Lows and Highs of Percent Daily Value on the New Nutrition Facts Label

The Nutrition Facts label on packaged foods and drinks has been updated to make it easier for you to make informed choices.

Read on to find out what’s new with the Daily Value and % Daily Value. For a complete list of the Daily Values for all nutrients, check out the Reference Guide below.

Daily Value vs. % Daily Value

First, let’s look at how Daily Value (DV) and Percent Daily Value (%DV) work together. DVs are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume or not to exceed each day. The %DV is how much a nutrient in a single serving of an individual packaged food or dietary supplement contributes to your daily diet. For example, if the DV for a certain nutrient is 300 micrograms (mcg) and a packaged food or supplement has 30 mcg in one serving, the %DV for that nutrient in a serving of the product would be 10%. If you ate one serving of the product, you would have met 10% of your need for that nutrient in a day and could consume other foods or supplements to get the other 90%.

Daily Value Updates May Affect % Daily Value

The DVs for many nutrients have been updated based on new nutrition research. So, the %DV may be different on some of your favorite products or supplements. As a result, you may need to consume more or less of a certain food, beverage or dietary supplement in order to meet the DVs or the recommended amounts.

For the nutrients with DVs that are going up, the %DVs may go down.
For example, the DV for total fat has been updated from 65g to 78g. That means that a packaged food with 36g of total fat in one serving (previously 55% DV) now has 46% DV. See below for a side-by-side comparison of the information on the original and new Nutrition Facts labels.

(If product serving size and amount of nutrient stayed the same)

For the nutrients with DVs that are going down, the %DVs may go up.
For example, the DV for sodium has been updated from 2,400mg to 2,300mg. That means that a packaged food with 1,060mg of sodium in one serving (previously 44% DV) now has 46% DV. See below for a side-by-side comparison of the information on the original and new Nutrition Facts labels.

(If product serving size and amount of nutrient stayed the same)

Sample Label

Which Nutrients Are Required to Be Listed on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels?

The Nutrition Facts label must list total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, total sugars, added sugars, protein, and certain vitamins and minerals. While the actual amount and %DV of vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium must be listed, other vitamins and minerals may be listed voluntarily by the manufacturer.

However, they are required to list any vitamins and minerals that are added to the food or if a statement is made on the package labeling about their health effects or the amount contained in the food (for example, "high" or "low").

Similarly, the Supplement Facts label is required to list the same nutrients as the Nutrition Facts label when any of these nutrients are found in the supplement in an amount considered to be greater than zero. For more information see 21 CFR 101.9(c).

Use %DV to determine if a serving of the food is high or low in an individual nutrient. As a general guide:

• 5% DV or less of a nutrient per serving is considered low.
• 20% DV or more of a nutrient per serving is considered high.

More often, choose foods that are:

• Higher in dietary fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium.
• Lower in saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars.

Reference Guide: Daily Value Changes for Nutrients

Here is a handy reference guide for all the Daily Values that have been updated on the new Nutrition Facts and Supplement Facts labels. Continue reading to find out which Daily Values have increased, decreased, stayed the same, and are newly developed.

Daily Value Increases

Daily Value Decreases

Daily Values Not Changed

New Daily Values

(1) Indicates a unit of measure change. The unit of measure is how a vitamin or mineral is measured, so the %DV may look different.

(2) The Daily Value decrease for folate/folic acid only applies to foods/supplements containing folic acid or a mixture of folic acid and naturally occurring folate. For foods/supplements containing only naturally occurring folate, the original and updated Daily Values are the same.

(3) The Daily Value decrease for vitamin E applies for foods/supplements containing the natural form of vitamin E, but not for the synthetic form. For foods/supplements containing only the synthetic form of vitamin E, the DV increased.

Units of Measure Key:

g = grams
mg = milligrams
mcg = micrograms
mg NE = milligrams of niacin equivalents
mcg DFE = micrograms of dietary folate equivalents
mcg RAE = micrograms of retinol activity equivalents
IU = international units

Learn More:

• What’s New with the Nutrition Facts Label
• Summary of Key Changes to the Nutrition Facts Label
• Social Media Toolkit, Graphics, and Videos
• Interactive Nutrition Facts Label
• Additional FDA Nutrition Education Resources and Materials

www.fda.gov/NewNutritionFactsLabel