Food Labeling: Reference Daily Intakes

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending its regulations to establish Reference Daily Intakes (RDI's) for vitamin K, selenium, manganese, chromium, molybdenum, and chloride, but not for fluoride. The agency is also amending its regulations to modify the units of measure that are used to declare the amount of biotin, folate, calcium, and phosphorus in food. In addition, the agency is amending its regulations to make consideration of selenium, chromium, molybdenum, and chloride optional in making a determination as to whether a food is nutritionally inferior to a food for which it substitutes and that it resembles. These actions are intended to assist consumers in understanding the nutritional significance of foods in the context of a total daily diet and are in recognition of the fact that the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) established Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA's) and Estimated Safe and Adequate Daily Dietary Intakes (ESADDI's) for vitamin K, selenium, manganese, chromium, molybdenum, and chloride either in 1980 or 1989.