Guideline Daily Amount

With the English term Guideline Daily Amount (GDA, dt as a guideline for the daily intake ) values ​​for the daily intake of energy, and the inclusion of certain substances in food by humans are called. The numbers are used as a reference in the voluntary labeling of processed food in order to provide consumers with information about the successful end with the inclusion of a reference portion of the food supply of food components. This one has particular those substances in view, the excessive consumption could adversely affect health, such as energy, sugar, fat, saturated fat and salt ( sodium).

The GDA labeling system by the Association of European food industry (Food and Drink Europe, FDE by 2011 Confédération des Industries de l' UE agroalimentaires, CIAA) developed, which has set the benchmarks. These were used as far as possible the recommendations of studies from EURODIET to develop a finanziertem by the European Commission project with the aim of science-based pan-European dietary recommendations as the basis for the European nutrition and health policy. Since there are no standards for the supply of energy by EURODIET, the working group of the CIAA has itself defined standard values ​​for this.

The simplified labeling is in addition to the nutrition labeling of foodstuffs under Directive 90/496/EEC ( in Germany implemented nationally by the nutrition labeling regulation, NAB), which are generally the nutrition claims regulates the movement of food. In Germany, the details of the GDA labeling in small barrel-shaped fields are presented on the food packaging.

CIAA standard values ​​are listed in the following table.

The table in the underlying data allow a simplified nutrition labeling: for example, a serving of tortellini (200 g) contains 3.3 g of saturated fat. This is equivalent with respect to the GDA of 20g ( based on is always the value for women) a percentage of 17 % of the recommended intake. For simplicity, the percent values ​​are always rounded to whole numbers.

Criticism

The GDA labeling is controversial.

  • The actual energy expenditure of an individual and the resulting amount of energy required, is composed of the basal metabolic rate and the power sales. Already the basal metabolic rate varies between different groups of people (children, adolescents, pregnant and lactating women, the elderly and sick people ) and the power conversion has, in addition, depending on the activity, considerable fluctuations (see construction workers at -5 ° C with office work ). The German Nutrition Society ( DGE) criticized because even this simplification ..
  • The DGE also criticized the derivation of a guideline only and are not scientifically substantiated adequately.
  • The mirror criticized the definition of portion size.
  • The organization Food Watch has called the GDA labeling as incomprehensible and calls for the introduction of traffic light labeling
  • Total sugar: The relationship between coronary heart disease and sugar consumption was in 1972 by John Yudkin in his book Pure, White and Deadly ( German translation: Sweet, But Dangerous 1974) illustrates, and the relationship between fructose and hypertriglyceridemia and high VLDL - blood values ​​and the resulting metabolic syndrome is the subject of research at UCSF. The video Sugar: The Bitter Truth ( German Sugar: The Bitter Truth ) by Dr. Robert H. Lustig Med granted lay people an insight into the subject.
  • The World Health Organization (WHO ) and the Food and Agriculture Organization ( FAO ) recommend a total sugar 50-60 grams daily
Dietary fiber foodwatch Very Low Density Lipoprotein Metabolic syndrome
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