Abstract

GARCIA-GABARRA, Antoni; CASTELLA-SOLEY, Marta  and  CALLEJA-FERNANDEZ, Alicia. Recommended energy and nutrients intakes in the European Union: 2008-2016. Nutr. Hosp. [online]. 2017, vol.34, n.2, pp.490-498. ISSN 1699-5198.  https://dx.doi.org/10.20960/nh.937.

The aim of this document is to reflect the changes happened in the European Union legislation and the opinions of the European Food Safety Authority in relation to the nutritional labeling on food, the reference values for energy, macronutrients and micronutrients, and the tolerable upper safe levels.

The European legislation in force uses the labeling reference values established by the Scientific Committee on Food in 2003. There would be advisable an update of them from the reference values for vitamins and minerals established by the European Food Safety Authority. Equally, there would be good to include reference labeling values for polyunsaturated fatty acids, dietary fiber and choline, and specific reference labeling values for children from 6 to 36 months.

For vitamins and minerals there would be desirable the revision of tolerable upper safe levels and the establishment of maximum amounts allowed in fortified food and food supplements in the European Union; its absence might represent a risk in some population groups for an excessive and unsafe intake of certain minerals and vitamins.

Keywords : Recommended intakes for energy and nutrients; Nutritional labelling; Reference values; Tolerable upper safe levels; Maximum amounts allowed.

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