Nutrition Labelling in Canada - The % Daily Value

Canadian % Daily Value website

Canadian Food Label - % Daily Value - Yogurt Example

Canada has a similar nutrition labelling scheme to Australia's Daily Intake Guide.  The Canadian % DV is a tool to help consumers see if a specific amount of food has a little or a lot of a nutrient.

In the Nutrition Facts table, there is a % DV for:

Fat, saturated and trans fats (combined), sodium, carbohydrate, fibre, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and iron.

Protein and sugars do not have a % DV.

• There is no % DV for protein since most Canadians get enough.
• There is no % DV for sugars because there is no generally accepted sugar target for a healthy population.

The % DV for cholesterol is optional. This means food companies can choose to show the % DV for cholesterol if they want to.

Learn about nutrition labelling in Canada >>

Nutrition Labelling in the UK - Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA)

The UK's Guide Line Daily Amount labelIn the UK you will find a nutrition labelling scheme very similar to Australia's Daily Intake Guide with a graphical representation of the facts much like our "daily intake thumbnails".

The UK's Guideline Daily Amounts and their What's Inside Guide are based on the recommendations for an average adult of healthy weight and average activity level.  GDA's are a front-of-pack labelling scheme.

The UK's Guideline Daily Amounts websiteTheir interactive website helps all types of people learn about making informed dietary choices.

Learn about nutrition labelling in the UK >>

Nutrition Labelling in the USA - Nutrition Facts & Percent Daily Values

Nutrition label in the USAThe United States also uses percent daily values in their required nutrition labels.

In the US the Percent Daily Values is presented on the Nutrition Facts panel, as is done in Canada, and communicates the key summary information consumers need to make informed dietary choices.

In the U.S., the % Daily Values (%DVs) are based on the Daily Value recommendations for key nutrients for a 2,000 calorie daily diet.

Consumers are encouraged to use the %DV as a frame of reference - whether or not they consume more or less than the 2,000 calorie guideline.  The %DV helps consumers determine if a serving of food is high or low in a nutrient.

Consumers can tell high from low and know which nutrients contribute a lot, or a little, to their daily recommended allowance.

The Nutrition Facts label was mandated for most food products under the provisions of the 1990 Nutrition Labeling and Education

US Food & Drug Administration website - how to read nutrition labels

Act (NLEA), per the recommendations of the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Food and Drug Administration.

  Learn more about nutrition labelling in the USA >> 

In addition to the Nutrition Facts panel information, America’s leading food and beverage manufacturers and retailers announced on 24 January 2011 the launch of Nutrition Keys, a new voluntary front of pack nutrition labeling system that will help busy consumers make informed choices when they shop.  The program represents the most significant modernization of food labels since the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990.

The Nutrition Keys program was developed in response to a request from First Lady Michelle Obama in March of last year.  She is working on projects to significantly reduce childhood obesity.