Recommended intakes for labelling
The body requires different amounts of each micronutrient because each vitamin and mineral has a different function. People also have variable requirements according to their age, sex, level of activity and state of health. The UK Department of Health has drawn up Dietary Reference Values (DRVs) for all nutrients for all different groups of healthy people in the UK [1].
The Reference Nutrient Intake (RNI) is set at a level that is considered to be adequate or more than adequate for almost all (97.5%) of the population. By generally consuming more than the RNI it is likely that a person's requirements will be met. However, for the purposes of food labelling and advertising, separate RDAs (recommended daily allowances), which differ from UK RNIs, have been developed by the European Commission (2,3) and are used in the UK and across Europe . Table 1 below shows the nutritional composition of an egg and the claims which are permitted under European Nutrition and Health Claims legislation. Tables 2 and 3 indicate the UK RNI values for vitamins and minerals and the percentage contribution to those RNIs from a medium size egg.
Nutritional composition of eggs (hen's egg, raw)
| Nutrient |
Per 100g | Per medium egg (58g)a |
Cut-off for 'source' claim (15% RDA) | RDAb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy (kcal) | 151 | 78 | -- | -- |
| Protein (g) | 12.5 | 6.5 | -- | --c |
| Carbohydrate (g) | trace | trace | -- | -- |
| Total fat (g) | 11.2 | 5.8 | -- | -- |
| Saturated fat (g) | 3.2 | 1.7 | -- | -- |
| Monounsaturated fat (g) | 4.4 | 2.3 | -- | --d |
| Cholesterol (mg) | 391 | 225 | -- | -- |
| Vitamin A (µg) | 190 | 98 | 120 | 800 |
| Vitamin D (µg) | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.75 | 5 |
| Riboflavin (vitamin B2) (µg) | 0.47 | 0.24 | 0.21 | 1.4 |
| Vitamin B12 (µg) | 2.5 | 1.3 | 0.38 | 2.5 |
| Folate (µg) | 50 | 26 | 30 | 200 |
| Biotin (µg) | 20 | 10 | 7.5 | 50 |
| Pantothenic acid (mg) | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 6 |
| Choline (mg) | 250 | 145 | -- | 550e |
| Phosphorus (mg) | 200 | 104 | 105 | 700 |
| Iron (mg) | 1.9 | 0.99 | 2.1 | 14 |
| Zinc (mg) | 1.3 | 0.68 | 1.5 | 10 |
| Iodine (µg) | 53 | 28 | 22.5 | 150 |
| Selenium (µg) | 11 | 5.7 | 8.25 | 55 |
a refers to edible portion of an average 58g egg
b RDA, recommended daily allowance
c condition for claim - more than 20% of the energy value is protein (3)
d condition for claim - at least 45% of total fatty acids and more than 20% of total energy (x)
e Dietary Reference Intakes, Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2006
Values in bold meet the minimum requirement to be labelled as 'a source', values in italics meet the minimum requirement to be labelled as 'high in' according to EU regulations (3,4)
Sources: Nutritional composition data (2)
RDA data (3,4) except d (5)
Vitamins
| Age | Vit A mg/d | % in an egg | Vit D g/d | % in an egg | Thiamin mg/d | % in an egg | Niacin mg/d | % in an egg | Riboflavin mg/d | % in an egg | Vit B6 mg/d | % in an egg | Vit B12 g/d | % in an egg | Folate g/d | % in an egg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7-9 months | 350 | 28% | 7 | 13% | 0.2 | 25% | 4 | 49% | 0.4 | 60% | 0.3 | 20% | 0.4 | 325% | 50 | 52% |
| 10-12 months | 350 | 28% | 7 | 13% | 0.3 | 17% | 5 | 39% | 0.4 | 60% | 0.4 | 15% | 0.4 | 325% | 50 | 52% |
| 1-3 years | 400 | 25% | 7 | 13% | 0.5 | 10% | 8 | 24% | 0.6 | 40% | 0.7 | 9% | 0.5 | 260% | 70 | 37% |
| 4-6 years | 500 | 20% | - | - | 0.7 | 7% | 11 | 17% | 0.8 | 30% | 0.9 | 7% | 0.8 | 163% | 100 | 26% |
| 7-10 years | 500 | 20% | - | - | 0.7 | 7% | 12 | 16% | 1.0 | 24% | 1.0 | 6% | 1.0 | 130% | 150 | 17% |
| Males | ||||||||||||||||
| 11-14 years | 600 | 16% | - | - | 0.9 | 6% | 15 | 12% | 1.2 | 20% | 1.2 | 5% | 1.2 | 108% | 200 | 13% |
| 15-18 years | 700 | 14% | - | - | 1.1 | 5% | 18 | 10% | 1.3 | 18% | 1.5 | 4% | 1.5 | 87% | 200 | 13% |
| 19-50 years | 700 | 14% | - | - | 1.0 | 5% | 17 | 11% | 1.3 | 18% | 1.4 | 4% | 1.5 | 87% | 200 | 13% |
| 50+ years | 700 | 14% | ** | - | 0.9 | 6% | 16 | 12% | 1.3 | 18% | 1.4 | 4% | 1.5 | 87% | 200 | 13% |
| Females | ||||||||||||||||
| 11-14 years | 600 | 16% | - | - | 0.7 | 7% | 12 | 16% | 1.1 | 22% | 1.0 | 6% | 1.2 | 108% | 200 | 13% |
| 15-18 years | 600 | 16% | - | - | 0.8 | 6% | 14 | 14% | 1.1 | 22% | 1.2 | 5% | 1.5 | 87% | 200 | 13% |
| 19-50 years | 600 | 16% | - | - | 0.8 | 6% | 13 | 15% | 1.1 | 22% | 1.2 | 5% | 1.5 | 87% | 200 | 13% |
| 50+ years | 600 | 16% | ** | - | 0.8 | 6% | 12 | 16% | 1.1 | 22% | 1.2 | 5% | 1.5 | 87% | 200 | 13% |
| Pregnancy | +100 | 14% | 10 | 9% | +0.1*** | 6% | * | +0.3 | 17% | * | * | - | +100 | 9% | ||
| Lactation | ||||||||||||||||
| 0-4 months | +350 | 10% | 10 | 9% | +0.2 | 5% | +2 | 13% | +0.5 | 15% | * | +0.5 | 65% | +60 | 10% | |
| 4+ months | +350 | 10% | 10 | 9% | +0.2 | 5% | +2 | 13% | +0.5 | 15% | * | +0.5 | 65% | +60 | 10% | |
*No increment
**After age 65 the RNI is 10 µg/d for men and women
***For last trimester only
Reference
- Department of Health(1991) Dietary Reference Values for Food Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom. Report on Health and Social Subjects no.41. HMSO, London.
Minerals
| Age | Calcium mg/d | % in an egg | Phosphorus mg/d | % in an egg | Potassium mg/d | % in an egg | Magnesium mg/d | % in an egg | Zinc mg/d | % in an egg | Iron mg/d | % in an egg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7-9 months | 525 | 6% | 400 | 26% | 700 | 10% | 75 | 8% | 5.0 | 14% | 7.8 | 13% |
| 10-12 months | 525 | 6% | 400 | 26% | 700 | 10% | 80 | 8% | 5.0 | 14% | 7.8 | 13% |
| 1-3 years | 350 | 8% | 270 | 38% | 800 | 8% | 85 | 7% | 5.0 | 14% | 6.9 | 14% |
| 4-6 years | 450 | 6% | 350 | 29% | 1100 | 6% | 120 | 5% | 6.5 | 11% | 6.1 | 16% |
| 7-10 years | 550 | 5% | 450 | 23% | 2000 | 3% | 200 | 3% | 7.0 | 10% | 8.7 | 11% |
| Males | ||||||||||||
| 11-14 years | 1000 | 3% | 775 | 13% | 3100 | 2% | 280 | 2% | 9.0 | 8% | 11.3 | 9% |
| 15-18 years | 1000 | 3% | 775 | 13% | 3500 | 2% | 300 | 2% | 9.5 | 7% | 11.3 | 9% |
| 19-50 years | 700 | 4% | 550 | 19% | 3500 | 2% | 300 | 2% | 9.5 | 7% | 8.7 | 11% |
| 50+ years | 700 | 4% | 550 | 19% | 3500 | 2% | 300 | 2% | 9.5 | 7% | 8.7 | 11% |
| Females | ||||||||||||
| 11-14 years | 800 | 4% | 625 | 17% | 3100 | 2% | 280 | 2% | 9.0 | 8% | 14.8 | 7% |
| 15-18 years | 800 | 4% | 625 | 17% | 3500 | 2% | 300 | 2% | 7.0 | 10% | 14.8 | 7% |
| 19-50 years | 700 | 4% | 550 | 19% | 3500 | 2% | 270 | 2% | 7.0 | 10% | 14.8 | 7% |
| 50+ years | 700 | 4% | 550 | 19% | 3500 | 2% | 270 | 2% | 7.0 | 10% | 8.7 | 11% |
| Pregnancy | * | * | * | * | * | * | ||||||
| Lactation | ||||||||||||
| 0-4 months | +550 | 2% | +440 | 10% | * | +50 | 2% | +6.0 | 5% | * | ||
| 4+ months | +550 | 2% | +440 | 10% | * | +50 | 2% | +2.5 | 7% | * | ||
*No increment
Minerals
| Age | Copper mg/d | % in an egg | Iodine mg/d | % in an egg | Selenium ï g/d | % in an egg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7-9 months | 0.3 | 13% | 60 | 45% | 10 | 60% |
| 10-12 month s | 0.3 | 13% | 60 | 45% | 10 | 60% |
| 1-3 years | 0.4 | 10% | 70 | 39% | 15 | 40% |
| 4-6 years | 0.6 | 7% | 100 | 27% | 20 | 30% |
| 7-10 years | 0.7 | 6% | 110 | 25% | 30 | 20% |
| Males | ||||||
| 11-14 years | 0.8 | 5% | 130 | 21% | 45 | 13% |
| 15-18 years | 1.0 | 4% | 140 | 19% | 70 | 9% |
| 19-50 years | 1.2 | 3% | 140 | 19% | 75 | 8% |
| 50+ years | 1.2 | 3% | 140 | 19% | 75 | 8% |
| Females | ||||||
| 11-14 years | 0.8 | 5% | 130 | 21% | 45 | 13% |
| 15-18 years | 1.0 | 4% | 140 | 19% | 60 | 10% |
| 19-50 years | 1.2 | 3% | 140 | 19% | 60 | 10% |
| 50+ years | 1.2 | 3% | 140 | 19% | 60 | 10% |
| Pregnancy | * | * | * | |||
| Lactation | ||||||
| 0-4 months | +0.3 | 3% | * | +15 | 8% | |
| 4+ months | +0.3 | 3% | * | +15 | 8% | |
References
1) Department of Health (1991) Dietary Reference Values for Food Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom. Report on Health and Social Subjects no.41. HMSO, London.
2) FSA (Food Standards Agency) (2002) McCance and Widdowson’s the Composition of Foods. 6th Edition. London :Royal Society of Chemistry.
3) European Parliament and Council (2006) Regulation No 1924/2006 on Nutrition and Health Claims made on Foods. Official Journal of the European Union L404.
4) European Commission (2008) Commission Directive 2008/100/EC amending Council Directive 90/496/EEC on nutrition labelling for foodstuffs as regards recommended daily allowances, energy conversion factors and definitions. Official Journal of the European Union L285/9.
5) Dietary Reference Intakes, Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2006