What does the last column of the nutrition facts table mean?

Nowadays, many people are very familiar with checking the ingredient list and nutrition facts table when they buy things, but many people say that they just feel bored after reading them, because they don’t have a reference standard or comparison in their mind. So even if they see a string of numbers, they don’t know what the numbers mean. In fact, this is because they don’t understand the last column of key information - NRV%. What is "NRV"? How can we use "NRV" to choose food? Understand this, and you will know clearly when you consume in the future!

Nutrient Reference Values ​​(NRVs) are formulated based on the "Dietary Reference Intakes" of residents, and their target population is the general population over 4 years old and in good health. The "Dietary Reference Intakes" of residents in different countries are different, so the NRVs in different countries are also different. The NRV% in the nutrition label is the ratio of the content of a certain nutrient in a food to its NRV. Since the NRV of the same nutrient in different foods is certain, the NRV% can be used to compare the relative content of the same nutrient in different foods. At present, NRV and NRV% play an irreplaceable and important role in food selection.

As the awareness of food nutrition and food safety among Chinese residents gradually increases, more and more consumers are consciously paying attention to the ingredient list and nutritional composition table when purchasing food. The last column of the nutritional composition table is usually marked as "NRV%" or "nutrient reference value%", and consumers often confuse it with concepts such as nutrient content and recommended nutrient intake. What exactly is "NRV"? How can consumers use "NRV" to purchase food? Let's find the answer together in the following article.

What does NRV mean?

NRV, Nutrient Reference Values, is a value specifically used for nutrition labels. The NRV% indicated on the nutrition label of pre-packaged food refers to the percentage of the energy and nutrients of the food to the corresponding NRV. Its function is to compare the relative content of the same nutrients in different foods.

In layman's terms, NRV represents the daily requirement of the nutrient. The NRV% indicated in the nutritional information table represents the percentage it can provide compared to the requirement. Let's take the nutritional information table of a certain nut as an example to make a detailed explanation:

The energy, protein, fat, carbohydrates and sodium in the leftmost column of the table above are required to be labeled in my country, which we call the mandatory labeling "1+4". Whether other ingredients in food such as "calcium", "iron" and "vitamin A" need to be displayed is voluntarily labeled by the company based on the characteristics of the product. The values ​​marked in the middle column of the nutrition information table are the corresponding content values, generally expressed in terms of content per 100g and/or per 100ml and/or per serving.

The rightmost column NRV% in the table is the percentage of each nutrient content in the product to its nutrient reference value. Since it is difficult for consumers to tell the level of a certain nutrient in food from the surface of the numbers, it is easy to understand if it is expressed as a percentage. For example: the fat content in the above nuts is 44.8g, accounting for 75% of the fat NRV, which means that if you eat 100g of this product, it can probably meet 75% of the fat required for an average adult in a day, so eating other foods high in fat should be properly controlled (of course, everyone's height, weight, physical activity level, etc. are not exactly the same, and the demand may also vary).

How does NRV come about?

How are the NRVs of energy and nutrients determined? This involves several concepts in the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for Chinese Residents.

(1) RDA, the recommended daily dietary allowance for nutrients . This is the recommended daily intake of each nutrient in the diet. This concept first appeared with the purpose of preventing nutrient deficiency diseases. It can be revised and adjusted according to the different needs of people in different periods.

(2) DRIs, Dietary Reference Intakes . It is a new and more systematic concept developed on the basis of RDA and can adapt to the current multi-faceted application needs. The customization process of DRIs takes into account many factors, such as population differences, age differences, and individual differences; the effect of a reasonable diet on increasing nutrient absorption; the relationship between the state of nutrients and intake; the effect of supplementing specific nutrients on improving nutrient deficiency; the maximum no-effect dose; factors that affect nutrient absorption and utilization and the conversion of active forms, etc. The purpose of proposing this indicator is to help individuals and populations safely consume various nutrients and prevent nutrition-related chronic diseases.

The 2023 version of the Chinese Residents DRIs includes seven indicators: **average requirement, recommended intake, appropriate intake, maximum tolerable intake, acceptable range of macronutrients, recommended intake to reduce the risk of diet-related non-communicable diseases, and specific recommended values. **The main indicators related to NRV customization are as follows:

1. EAR: Average Requirement

Refers to the intake level that can meet the needs of 50% of individuals in a certain gender, age and physiological condition group. It is the basis for the formulation of RDA and can be calculated through the formula.

2. RNI: recommended intake

Refers to the intake level that can meet the needs of the vast majority (97%-98%) of individuals in a certain gender, age and physiological condition group, which is equivalent to the traditional RDA. The purpose of proposing this concept is to serve as the target value for an individual's daily intake of this nutrient. For individuals whose height and weight exceed the reference range by a large margin, their RNI may need to be adjusted according to the required amount per kilogram of body weight.

3. AI: Adequate Intake

Refers to the intake of a certain nutrient in healthy people obtained through observation or experiment. It is a value set when there is insufficient research data on individual requirements, EAR cannot be calculated, and therefore RNI cannot be obtained (such as pregnant women, infants and other groups). Both are used as individual intake targets, but since there is relatively little research data on special populations, the determination process of AI needs to be more cautious.

NRV is formulated based on RNI and AI in the DRIs conceptual system, and the target population is healthy people over 37 months of age.

But it should be clear that in the "Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for Chinese Residents", the RNI and AI of each nutrient are different for men and women of different ages and physiological states. However, there are many types of food, which makes management difficult, and consumers' choice of pre-packaged food is random. Therefore, when formulating NRV, it is impossible to divide it into different groups in detail like RNI and AI. It can only draw a "standard line" for the content of each nutrient in food. By comparing the difference between the nutrients contained in pre-packaged food and the "standard line", the relative content of each nutrient in different products can be judged, thereby helping consumers to choose food in a targeted and selective manner.

References:

[1]Dietary Reference Intakes for Chinese Residents (DRIs2023).

[2]Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022 Edition).

[3] GB 28050-2011 National food safety standard General principles for nutrition labeling of prepackaged foods.