Recommended Daily Value and %Daily Value

What is the Daily Value and % Daily Value in the FDA Recommendations?

Most of this information was taken from the Official FDA Website. It includes a table of the recommended daily values of most (all) of the reported recommendations. We also see % Daily Value on many food labels and in articles, blogs, and other content-producing outlets.

I thought it important to make sure we know what we are looking at before we get into any data.

First, let’s look at how Daily Value (DV) and Percent Daily Value (%DV) work together.

Recommended Daily Value and % Daily Value

Understanding nutritional data requires more than just reading numbers; it requires knowing how those numbers fit into your total daily intake. This lesson breaks down the Daily Value (DV) and Percent Daily Value (%DV) standards established by the FDA. These metrics serve as a “nutritional yardstick” to help you measure the potency of the microgreens you grow and consume.

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Defining the Standards: DV vs. %DV

To navigate a nutritional profile effectively, you must distinguish between the target amount and the percentage of that target.

Daily Value (DV)

The Daily Value represents the total amount of a nutrient the FDA recommends you consume—or stay below—each day. Think of the DV as your daily “nutritional budget.” For example, the FDA sets the DV for Vitamin C at 90mg to support immune function and collagen synthesis.

Percent Daily Value (%DV)

The %DV tells you how much a single serving of food contributes to your total daily budget.

The Concept Bridge: Imagine your daily requirement for a nutrient is a 10-gallon fuel tank. If a serving of microgreens provides 1 gallon, that serving represents 10% DV. It fills 10% of your “tank” for the day, leaving you to find the remaining 90% from other food sources.

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The “5/20” Rule: Assessing Nutrient Density

Because microgreens are often touted as “superfoods,” we use the %DV to determine if they are truly a “high” or “low” source of a specific vitamin or mineral. The FDA provides a simple benchmark for this:

• 5% DV or less is considered Low in that nutrient.
• 20% DV or more is considered High in that nutrient.

When you see a microgreen variety—like Red Cabbage or Garnet Amaranth—containing 20% or more of your Vitamin K, you are consuming a high-potency functional food.

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How We Measure Microgreens

Unlike a box of cereal, fresh microgreens from your garden or a farmer’s market do not come with a nutrition label. In this course, we standardize all data to a 100-gram serving.

Typical Consumption: Most people consume between 15 and 20 grams (about 0.5 to 0.75 ounces) per meal. To find your actual intake, you would divide the reported 100g values by five. That is the most commonly reported amount.

The 100g Standard: 100 grams is roughly 3.5 ounces. While this is a large portion for a single salad topper, it is the global scientific standard for reporting nutrient density.

Here is an article I wrote on microgreen serving sizes.

I think that is a bit much; it is about 3-1/2 ounces. I usually use about 1/2 to 3/4 of an ounce on a salad. Now you may add more than I do; it is a task you will have to figure out if you want to calculate the nutritional value you get from one of your servings of microgreens.

Here are the DV’s and %DV’s Recommended by the FDA

These are the values as of May 2026.

These do change year to year, and this should be a clue to how much faith you should invest in these numbers. I try not to put my own views into this course. If you want to know my views, I might do a podcast and will link it here if it happens.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Reference Guide Daily and % Daily Values (May 2026)

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