Nutrient reference value (BRD / NRV)

The nutrient reference value (BRD) is called “nutrient reference value” (NRV) in European Union legislation; it is the reference intake value used on food labels to show the amount of a vitamin or mineral as a percentage. In Türkiye, the Turkish Food Codex Regulation on Food Labeling and Informing Consumers requires that, when vitamin and mineral information is given, the amount also be stated as a percentage of the reference intake values in Annex-9 Part 1. ^[1] The regulation calls these values “reference intake value”; the Food Supplements Communiqué, however, uses the term “nutrient reference value” and refers to the older 2011 Labeling Regulation. ^[2]

Examples

Annex XIII of EU Regulation No 1169/2011 gives daily reference intakes for adults: for example 5 µg for vitamin D and 80 mg for vitamin C. ^[3] In Türkiye’s food supplement legislation, BRD is also used to set the lower limit of the labeled amount: the Food Supplements Communiqué provides that, for supplements containing vitamins and minerals, the daily serving amount stated on the label be at least 15% of the BRD for ages 11 and over, and half of this value for the 4–10 age group. ^[2] For nutrients without a BRD, the label carries the statement “no nutrient reference value”. ^[2]

How it differs from RDA and UL

BRD is a labeling reference. RDA describes the intake level that meets an individual’s requirement, and UL describes the safe upper limit; each is set by different bodies for different purposes (RDA, Tolerable upper intake level). The “%BRD” value on a label is therefore not read as a recommendation or safety limit; it only shows the amount the product provides relative to the reference value.

How a label is read line by line is explained in the guide How to read a label.