Baking & Snack - May 2004 - 132

NUTRIENT

DRVS, RDIS AND US RDAS

ADDITIONAL NUTRIENTS

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES, IF ANY?
For many years, nutrient percentages for food labels were calculated using US
Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) of macronutrients and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals) as the yardstick.
Daily Reference Values and
These US RDAs were promulgated
Reference Daily Intakes
for adults and children above
Food Component . . . .DRV,2,000-Cal Diet four years of age. In the process
Fat (maximum) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 g of issuing the new regulations
Saturated fatty acids (maximum) . . . . .20 g under the Nutritional Labeling and
Cholesterol (maximum) . . . . . . . . 300 mg Education Act of 1990, the Food
Total carbohydrate . . . . . . . . . . . . . .300 g and Drug Administration changed
Fiber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 g the guidelines slightly. The new
Sodium (maximum) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 g approach is:
The Daily Reference Value (DRV,
Potassium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5 g
Protein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 g or just DV) for daily consumption of
Micronutrient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RDI the various macronutrients in food
Vitamin A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5,000 I. U. is related to the total daily caloric
Vitamin C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 mg intake. The DV for the main table
Calcium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 gram is based on a 2,000-Cal diet, but at
Iron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 mg the bottom of the label the numbers
Vitamin D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400 I. U. for total fat, total carbohydrate and
Vitamin E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 I. U. fiber are 25% greater for a 2,500Vitamin K . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 mcg Cal diet than for the 2,000-Cal diet.
Thiamin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.5 mg Also, protein has been dropped
Riboflavin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.7 mg from the required list. While the
Niacin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 mg US RDA was 65 g of protein per
Vitamin B6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 mg day, FDA concluded that protein
Folate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400 mcg deficiency was not a problem today.
Vitamin B12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 mcg The DRV established for protein is
Biotin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 mcg 50 g, if the manufacturer wishes to
Pantothenic acid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 mg put the % Daily Value for protein on
Phosphorus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 gram the label. Also a DRV of 3.5 g has
Iodine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 mcg been established for potassium.
The Reference Daily Intake
Magnesium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400 mg
Zinc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 mg (RDI) relates to vitamins and
Copper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 mg minerals and may be taken as the
Manganese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 mg amount needed per day, regardless
Chromium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 mcg of caloric intake. The requireMolybdenum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 mcg ments for label declaration of
Chloride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4 g micronutrients have changed. Now
the only ones that must appear are
vitamins A and C, calcium and iron; listing of any other micronutrients is optional.
To summarize, the former US RDAs have been split into two parts:
* DRVs (macronutrients, caloric intake dependent).
* RDIs (micronutrients, independent of daily caloric intake).

The Food and Drug Administration publishes a list of Recommended Daily Intake
(RDI) levels for micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) in the diet of adults. These
are based on, although not necessarily identical with, recommendations made by a
select committee working under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences.
N.A.S. figures relate to various segments of the population (adult men and women,
plus children) and include three categories:
Recommended daily allowance (RDA) represents the level of nutrients necessary
to maintain the health of 97% or more of people.
Adequate daily intake (AI) describes the level of nutrients that keeps 50% or
more of the population healthy.
Tolerable upper intake levels (UL) indicates levels above which deleterious
effects might occur.
The accompanying table lists these, along with the FDA RDIs.
For vitamin A, the standard is all-trans-retinol. One microgram (mcg) is equivalent to 12 mcg of beta carotene, or 24 mcg of alpha carotene or beta cryptoxanthin.
The recommendation for vitamin C notes that smokers should have an RDA
35 mg higher than that listed.
The RDA for vitamin E is based on alpha-tocopherol. The other forms (beta,
gamma, delta) and tocotrienols are poorly utilized by humans and are not considered as adequate precursors of this vitamin.
No UL was set for arsenic or silicon. Possible health benefits at low intake levels
are noted in the N.A.S. report, but the committee did not think enough sound data
exists to set either an RDA or UL.
For more information on these or other N.A.S. recommendations, go the Web site
(www.nas.edu/subjectindex/hea.html). Click on "Food and Nutrition Board." Reports
on many topics are listed at this site, and the individual reports can be read online.

STATE REQUIREMENTS

Bread products marketed in these 36 states and one territory are
required to be enriched by the addition of five essential nutrients.
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Georgia
Hawaii

Idaho
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Massachusetts
Mississippi
Montana

Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma

Oregon
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Texas
Utah
Washington
West Virginia
Wyoming

The states of California, Washington and Massachusetts and the territory of Puerto Rico require the use of enriched flour in all products
containing a set percentage of flour that are marketed in these areas.
If any enrichment is used in a food product, or if a product is
labeled or advertised as enriched, then it must be in compliance
with these standards.
132 / BAKERS PRODUCTION MANUAL / May 2004

Micronutrient
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Vitamin K
Boron
Chromium
Copper
Iodine
Iron
Manganese
Molybdenum
Nickel
Selenium

Type
RDA
RDA
RDA
AI
-
AI
RDA
RDA
RDA
AI
RDA
-
RDA

*27 mg per day for pregnant women
National Academy of Sciences

Men
900 mcg
90 mg
15 mg
120 mcg
(No listing)
35 mcg
0.9 mg
150 mcg
8 mg
2.3 mg
45 mcg
(No listing)
55 mcg

Women
700 mcg
75 mg
15 mg
90 mcg
(No listing)
25 mcg
0.9 mg
150 mcg
18 mg*
1.8 mg
45 mcg
(No listing)
55 mcg

UL
3 mcg
2g
1g
None
20 mg
None
10 mg
1.1 mg
45 mg
11 mg
2 mg
1.1 mg
400 mcg

RDI
5,000 IU
60 mg
30 IU
80 mcg
None
None
2 mg
150 mcg
18 mg
2 mg
75 mcg
None
None
http://www.nas.edu/subjectindex/hea.html
Baking & Snack - May 2004

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