daily reference value

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Contributor to Encyclopedia of Global Health. He contributed several articles to SAGE Publications’ Encyclopedia of Governance (2007), which served as the basis for his contributions.

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daily reference value (DRV), set of numerical quantities developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the dietary intake of energy-containing macronutrients, including carbohydrates, cholesterol, fat, fibre, saturated fatty acids, potassium, protein, and sodium. In the United States the DRVs for adults and children over age four, based on a diet of 2,000 calories per day, are 65 grams of fat (or about 30 percent of all calories), just under one-third of which (20 grams) should be saturated fat; 300 grams of carbohydrates (or 60 percent of calories); 50 grams of protein (10 percent of calories); 300 mg of cholesterol; 25 grams of fibre; 2,400 mg of sodium; and 3,500 mg of potassium. Canada has similar DRVs, with slight differences concerning saturated fats and trans fats. In some countries, recommended dietary intake is equivalent to DRV.

DRVs have played an important role in food labeling. In the United States the DRV is one of two types of reference values, the second being the reference daily intake (RDI) for vitamins and minerals. RDI and DRV are combined under daily value (DV) on food labels. The fat content in a single serving of a food or beverage product, and how that amount figures into the fat DRV, often is of particular interest to consumers.

DRVs allow people to assess whether their diet exceeds the amount of macronutrients that they should be eating. DRVs also serve an especially important role as a reference point for people with dietary problems.