There are a number of different types of nutrition labels seen on products. It is good to be able to recognize your label type and the differences found on different labels especially if you are travelling in a different country or have moved to a new country recently.
The main differences are:
- Tracking Fibre and Carbohydrates
- Energy Units
- Percent DV, RDAs and RNIs in different countries
We support the format for a number of different label types:
- Standard American
- Updated (2016) American
- European
- Australian/ NZ
- Canadian
If you are using a nutrition label from a country other than those listed above, choose the closest alternative when creating custom foods and custom recipes based on the differences between label types that will be outlined below. Keep in mind that the %DV values will likely appear differently than the template you have chosen due to differing nutrition target regulations in various countries.
Standard American
Key features include:
- Energy measured in Calories only
- Convenient serving size measurement (e.g. cups, oz, fl. oz, Tbsp)
- Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron
- %DV based on 2000 kcal diet
- Carbohydrates including fibre (the carbohydrate value listed on American labels is NOT Net Carbs)
Updated (2016) American
This label type can be found on most American branded products.
Key features include:
- Energy measured in Calories only,
- Convenient serving size measurement (e.g. cups, oz, fl. oz, Tbsp)
- Vitamin D, Iron, Calcium, Potassium
- %DV (based on 2000 kcal diet)
- Some of the Daily Values have changed. You may see different percent values here in the 2016 label vs. the Standard American label type. (You can learn more about this on the FDA website)
- Carbohydrates including fibre (the carbohydrate value listed on American labels is NOT Net Carbs).
European
European labels have a couple of notable features that are different than American features. Specifically different are: How Carbohydrates are reported, Energy Units, and serving size options. Key features include:
- Energy measured in both kcal and kJ (we will only report the kcal value in your Cronometer nutrient summary)
- Serving sizes measured in grams, including a 100g serving size option
- Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Calcium, Iron
- %DV (based on 2000 kcal diet)
- This percentage is listed as the % of the RNI which is different than that of American targets. We will always report the numeric value (not the percent) in CRDB foods.
- Carbohydrates reported do NOT include fibre. Fibre is listed as a separate nutrient.
- Salt is reported instead of Sodium. This is a different value. Salt contains 40% sodium, and the different value for sodium can be found in the Nutrient Targets Summary in Cronometer.
Australian (NZ)
Australian Labels are similar to European labels but do contain a few differences including energy units and reporting of Sodium. Key features include:
- Energy measured in kilojoules only. (we will only report the kcal value in your Cronometer nutrient summary, but you can view the kJ value within the nutrition label view)
- Serving sizes measured in grams, including a 100g serving size option
- Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Calcium, Iron
- %DV (based on 2000 kcal diet)
- This percentage is listed as the % of the RNI which is different than that of American targets. We will always report the numeric value (not the percent) in CRDB foods.
- Carbohydrates reported do NOT include fibre. Fibre is listed as a separate nutrient.
- Sodium values are reported. This value is different than salt. Salt contains 40% sodium.
Canadian
Canadian labels are similar to American labels with a few differences.
Key features include:
- Energy measured in Calories only
- Convenient serving size measurement (e.g.. cups, Tbsp)
- Potassium, Calcium and Iron are highlighted
- %DV (based on 2000 kcal diet)
- Some of the Daily Values are different compared with the values used in the American 2016 label. Learn about the Daily Values used in Canada here.
- Carbohydrates including fibre (the carbohydrate value listed on Canadian labels is NOT Net Carbs).
DRI vs. %DV
A lot of people confuse DRIs with %DV. The %DV that you see on nutrition labels is a standardized value used for nutrition labels to help people better understand amounts on labels. In the Cronometer Calories Summary, the Nutrient Targets show your nutrition targets for the day. Each target has an optional minimum and maximum value. By default, the minimum is set to the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) value for your body type, and the maximum is set to the Tolerable Upper Limit (TUL), when available, values which can be quite different than the %DV value on a label.
Baby Foods
Be careful when adding branded baby foods as custom foods! If the information is reported by %DV and %DV is reported for a 2000 kcal diet, the nutrient weight values will not be accurate for an infant. Any baby foods listed in the CRDB database will be corrected for infant %DV values where appropriate. If you are unsure of RDAs for your infant, please contact your health practitioner.