Percent daily value

About percent daily value

The % DV is found on the right-hand side of a nutrition facts table. It is a guide to help you make informed food choices. It shows you if the serving size has a little or a lot of a nutrient:

• 5% DV or less is a little
• 15% DV or more is a lot

This applies to all nutrients with a % DV.

The % DV is not meant to track the total amount of nutrients you have had for the day. This is because some of the foods you eat do not have a nutrition facts table, such as:

• fresh vegetables and fruit
• raw meat and poultry (except when it is ground)
• raw seafood

The % DV for the following nutrients must be listed in the nutrition facts table:

• fat
• saturated and trans fats
• sodium
• carbohydrate
• fibre
• vitamin A
• vitamin C
• calcium
• iron

Listing the % DV for cholesterol is optional.

Some other vitamins and minerals that do not have to be listed in the nutrition facts table include:

• folate
• magnesium
• niacin
• phosphorus
• potassium
• riboflavin
• selenium
• thiamine
• vitamin B12
• vitamin B6
• vitamin D
• vitamin E
• zinc

However, when they are listed in the nutrition facts table, the amount is included as a % DV.

How to use percent daily value

Use % DV to compare 2 different food products to help you make an informed food choice.

You can use % DV to choose products that are higher in the nutrients you may want more of:

• fibre
• vitamin A
• calcium
• iron

You can also choose products that are lower in the nutrients you may want less of:

• saturated and trans fats
• sodium

How percent daily value is calculated

Many of the nutrient amounts in the nutrition facts table are shown using % DV.

The current daily values in Canada are based on 2 sets of values. These include the:

1. recommended daily intake (RDI) for vitamins and minerals
2. reference standards for:
   • fat
   • saturated and trans fats
   • cholesterol
   • carbohydrate
   • fibre
   • potassium
   • sodium

The % DV for a nutrient is calculated by:

• dividing the amount of a nutrient in a serving size by its daily value, then
• multiplying that number by 100

For example, a food product has 3 mg of iron. The daily value for iron is 14 mg. This means that the % DV for iron would be 21%.

If you would like to do your own calculation, use the equation below to help you.

(3 mg ÷ 14 mg) × 100 = 21% DV