Percent Daily Value (%DV)

Percent Daily Value (%DV) compares the amount of a nutrient in one serving to the recommended daily reference amount, then expresses that comparison as a percent. It works because any part of a whole can be turned into a percentage by dividing the part by the reference amount and multiplying by 100. A higher %DV means the serving provides a larger share of the daily target for that nutrient.

Use this when reading Nutrition Facts labels to judge how much of a nutrient a serving provides relative to a day’s needs. It is especially useful for checking nutrients you may want more of, like fiber, or less of, like sodium or saturated fat.

• Using the package’s full contents instead of one serving
• Mixing up the nutrient amount with the reference daily amount
• Forgetting to multiply by 100 after dividing