Daily values are the dietary reference values that are used on all current U.S. Nutrition Facts labels. These values were determined by the FDA to best represent the minimum needs of the general population. For many nutrients, DVs will exceed your actual minimum needs, since they conservatively allow for the minimum needs of more demanding conditions, such as pregnancy or lactation. Most DVs are derived from dietary reference intakes (DRI) and other recommendations made by the Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine (IOM).

For use on food labels, daily values formally replace all other previously used references, including daily reference values (DRV), reference daily intakes (RDI), and recommended dietary allowances (RDA).