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Reference intakes by nutrient, age and sex
The published daily reference intake for 21 nutrients by age, sex and life stage, with the EU label figure beside it and ordinary food portions measured against both.
These are published population reference values, not a diagnosis and not a prescription. A reference intake describes what covers a healthy group; it cannot tell you your own status, and no page can. Pregnancy, chronic illness, medicines and malabsorption all change the picture — take those questions to a doctor, midwife, pharmacist or dietitian.
Four different numbers, and which one you are looking at
Almost every argument about "the recommended daily amount" is really two people quoting different documents. There are four layers in Europe, and they are not interchangeable.
| Layer | Who publishes it | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| EFSA Dietary Reference Values | European Food Safety Authority | The EU scientific reference. Population Reference Intakes, Average Requirements, Adequate Intakes and Tolerable Upper Intake Levels per nutrient and age band. These are the figures printed on this site. |
| Nutrient Reference Values | EU law — Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex XIII | The single set of numbers every European label divides by to print "% RI". Fixed in legislation, so it does not move when the science does. |
| Nordic Nutrition Recommendations | Nordic Council of Ministers | The shared Nordic scientific basis, and the foundation of national food-based guidance across this region. |
| National recommendations | Estonia: National Institute for Health Development. Finland: National Nutrition Council with the Finnish Food Authority. Latvia: the health authorities. | Translate the above into food-based guidance, supplement advice and meal standards for schools and institutions. These are the ones a clinician here will quote. |
This site prints the EFSA and the EU label figures because they are the two sets it can reproduce exactly, with the opinion year attached to each. Where a national figure is different and well established — vitamin D is the clearest example — the nutrient page says so in words. Where it could not be verified, the page carries no number rather than a guessed one.
What AR, PRI, AI and UL actually mean
| Abbreviation | Name | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| AR | Average Requirement | The intake that meets the needs of half of a healthy group. Used to assess whether a population is short, not to plan one person’s diet. |
| PRI | Population Reference Intake | The intake that covers almost everyone in a group, usually about 97.5 per cent. Deliberately above what most people need, so falling below it is not the same as being deficient. |
| AI | Adequate Intake | Used when the evidence will not support a requirement. It is the observed intake of apparently healthy people, taken as sufficient. A weaker kind of number, and worth knowing when a label claims you are short. |
| SAI | Safe and adequate intake | Used for sodium: a value that is both sufficient and below the level where harm begins. It reads as a ceiling rather than a target. |
| UL | Tolerable Upper Intake Level | The maximum chronic daily intake unlikely to cause harm. Several apply only to supplements and fortified food. Where no UL exists, that means the evidence did not support one — not that more is safe. |
Every nutrient, with the adult figure and the label figure
The adult column shows men then women where EFSA sets different values. The label column is what a European pack means by 100% RI.
| Nutrient | Group | Adult reference intake (EFSA) | EU label reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | Macronutrient | 0.83 g per kg body weight | 50 g |
| Fibre | Macronutrient | 25 g | no label reference |
| Sodium and salt | Mineral | 5 g salt | 6 g salt |
| Calcium | Mineral | 950 mg | 800 mg |
| Iron | Mineral | 11 / 16 mg | 14 mg |
| Magnesium | Mineral | 350 / 300 mg | 375 mg |
| Potassium | Mineral | 3 500 mg | 2 000 mg |
| Zinc | Mineral | 9.4 / 7.5 mg | 10 mg |
| Selenium | Mineral | 70 µg | 55 µg |
| Iodine | Mineral | 150 µg | 150 µg |
| Vitamin A | Fat-soluble vitamin | 750 / 650 µg RE | 800 µg |
| Vitamin C | Water-soluble vitamin | 110 / 95 mg | 80 mg |
| Vitamin D | Fat-soluble vitamin | 15 µg | 5 µg |
| Vitamin E | Fat-soluble vitamin | 13 / 11 mg | 12 mg |
| Vitamin K | Fat-soluble vitamin | 70 µg | 75 µg |
| Thiamin (B1) | Water-soluble vitamin | 0.1 mg per MJ | 1.1 mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) | Water-soluble vitamin | 1.6 mg | 1.4 mg |
| Niacin (B3) | Water-soluble vitamin | 1.6 mg NE per MJ | 16 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | Water-soluble vitamin | 1.7 / 1.6 mg | 1.4 mg |
| Folate (B9) | Water-soluble vitamin | 330 µg DFE | 200 µg |
| Vitamin B12 | Water-soluble vitamin | 4 µg | 2.5 µg |
By life stage
Each of these pages takes one nutrient and one person-group, explains why that group’s number is what it is, and recalculates the food arithmetic against it.
Iron for women aged 19 to 50
Adult women before the menopause, so with monthly iron losses.
Iron in pregnancy
Pregnancy. A handful of requirements rise sharply, most do not move at all.
Iron for girls aged 15 to 17
Late adolescence, with menstrual iron losses on top of growth.
Iron for children aged 1 to 3
Toddlers. Small stomachs, fast growth, and a diet that is often narrower than the parents think.
Folate and folic acid for women who could become pregnant
Adult women before the menopause, so with monthly iron losses.
Folate in pregnancy
Pregnancy. A handful of requirements rise sharply, most do not move at all.
Vitamin D for infants aged 7 to 11 months
The first year, once complementary food has started. Before 6 months, milk covers everything.
Vitamin D for children aged 1 to 3
Toddlers. Small stomachs, fast growth, and a diet that is often narrower than the parents think.
Vitamin D for adults 65 and over
Older adults. The published number rarely changes; what changes is how much of it gets absorbed.
Vitamin D in pregnancy
Pregnancy. A handful of requirements rise sharply, most do not move at all.
Calcium for children aged 11 to 14
The growth spurt and the years when the skeleton lays down most of its mineral.
Calcium for women 51 and over
Adult women after the menopause, when iron losses stop and bone loss speeds up.
Vitamin B12 for adults 65 and over
Older adults. The published number rarely changes; what changes is how much of it gets absorbed.
Iodine in pregnancy
Pregnancy. A handful of requirements rise sharply, most do not move at all.
Protein for adults 65 and over
Older adults. The published number rarely changes; what changes is how much of it gets absorbed.
The life-stage groups this site uses
| Group | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Infants 7-11 months | The first year, once complementary food has started. Before 6 months, milk covers everything. |
| Children 1-3 years | Toddlers. Small stomachs, fast growth, and a diet that is often narrower than the parents think. |
| Children 4-6 years | Pre-school and the first school year. |
| Children 7-10 years | Primary school, before the growth spurt. |
| Children 11-14 years | The growth spurt and the years when the skeleton lays down most of its mineral. |
| Boys 15-17 years | Late adolescence, when the male requirement first exceeds the adult one for several nutrients. |
| Girls 15-17 years | Late adolescence, with menstrual iron losses on top of growth. |
| Men 19-50 | The reference adult man in most published tables. |
| Women 19-50 | Adult women before the menopause, so with monthly iron losses. |
| Men 51 and over | Adult men in the second half of life. |
| Women 51 and over | Adult women after the menopause, when iron losses stop and bone loss speeds up. |
| Adults 65 and over | Older adults. The published number rarely changes; what changes is how much of it gets absorbed. |
| Pregnancy | Pregnancy. A handful of requirements rise sharply, most do not move at all. |
| Breastfeeding | Breastfeeding. What leaves in the milk has to be replaced. |
EFSA does not use one set of age bands for every nutrient — iron splits at 12 years, calcium at 11, vitamin C at 15 — so each nutrient page says which EFSA band a row was taken from. Where a band could not be reproduced with confidence, the row is absent and the page says the values shown are for adults. An empty row is deliberate.
Sources: EFSA Dietary Reference Values · Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex XIII · USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy (food composition) · Nordic Nutrition Recommendations, Nordic Council of Ministers · checked 2026-09-06
Frequently asked questions
What is a reference intake?
A reference intake is a published figure that describes how much of a nutrient covers the needs of a healthy population group. It is not a personal requirement and not a diagnosis. EFSA publishes them for the EU as Dietary Reference Values.
What is the difference between an AR, a PRI and an AI?
The Average Requirement covers half of a group. The Population Reference Intake sits above it and covers almost everyone, usually about 97.5 per cent. An Adequate Intake is used when there is not enough evidence to derive a requirement, and is based on observed intakes in apparently healthy people.
Why does the number on the packet differ from the number here?
Because a European label divides by the Nutrient Reference Values in Annex XIII of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, a fixed legal set. Several of those were set before the current EFSA reference values, so the two can differ substantially. Vitamin D is the clearest case: the label reference is 5 micrograms, the EFSA adequate intake is 15.
Which country guidance applies in Estonia, Finland or Latvia?
National recommendations in this region are built on the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations produced by the Nordic Council of Ministers, and are issued nationally: in Estonia by the National Institute for Health Development, in Finland by the National Nutrition Council with the Finnish Food Authority, and in Latvia by the health authorities. Where a national figure differs from the EFSA one, this site says so in words rather than printing a figure it has not verified.
Does an upper level mean everything below it is safe for me?
No. A tolerable upper intake level is a population figure for chronic daily intake from all sources, and several of them apply only to supplements and fortified food rather than to nutrients in ordinary food. Medicines, illness and pregnancy change what is appropriate.
Reference values are the map, your own log is the territory
TempoLife records what you actually eat, so the question stops being "how much iron does a woman need" and starts being "how much did I get this week".