Percent Daily Value: What does it mean?

What does Percent Daily Value mean on food labels?

- Eileen / Mississippi

Mayo Clinic dietitian Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D., and colleagues answer select questions from readers.

Answer

Food labels list percentages that are based on recommended daily intakes — meaning the amount of nutrients a person should get each day. These numbers tell you the Percent Daily Value (DV) that one serving of this food provides as a percentage of established standards. For example, a label may show that a serving of the food provides 30 percent of the daily recommended amount of fiber. This means you still need another 70 percent to meet the recommended goal. Percent DV is based on a 2,000-calorie diet for adults older than 18.

Nutrition experts recommend limiting total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium in your diet, so choose foods with a lower Percent DV for these nutrients. Eat more foods with a higher Percent DV for vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Using Percent Daily Values can help you compare similar foods in order to help determine what foods are higher in nutrients.

Reference values for nutrition labeling: How much should you get each day?
Nutrient	Amount for adults
Biotin	0.3 milligrams (mg)
Calcium	1,000 mg
Copper	2 mg
Folic acid	0.4 mg
Iron	18 mg
Magnesium	400 mg
Niacin	20 mg
Pantothenic acid	10 mg
Phosphorus	1,000 mg
Protein	50 grams (g)
Riboflavin	1.7 mg
Thiamin	1.5 mg
Vitamin A	5,000 international units (IU)
Vitamin B-12	6 micrograms
Vitamin B-6	2 mg
Vitamin C	60 mg
Vitamin D	400 IU
Vitamin E	30 IU
Zinc	15 mg

Reference values for nutrition labeling: How much should you get each day?
Nutrient	Amount for adults
Total fat	Less than 65 grams (g)
Saturated fat	Less than 20 g
Trans fat	Less than 2 g
Cholesterol	Less than 300 milligrams (mg)
Total carbohydrate	300 g
Fiber	At least 25 g
Sodium	Less than 2,400 mg
Potassium	3,500 mg