GDAs
Guideline Daily Amounts
Food & Drink Industry Ireland
is a business sector within IBEC
www.ibec.ie
The Facts
What are GDAs
and why are they useful?
Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) are a guide to how
much energy and key nutrients the average healthy
person needs in order to have a balanced diet.
GDA labels tell you at a glance how much of each key
nutrient (i.e. calories, sugars, fat, saturates and salt)
is contained in a portion of food within the context
of the average daily requirements for each.
GDAs enable consumers to use nutrition information to
compare the energy or nutrient levels of different foods
thus helping them to make the appropriate
choice when shopping.
GDAs make planning a healthy balanced diet
much easier by informing consumers of a food’s
nutritional profile.
GDAs and you !
Each GDA is for an ‘average’ adult and will vary depending
on who you are. All the Guideline Daily Amounts are
based on the recommendations for an average adult of
healthy weight and average activity level.
Furthermore, these adult values are based on a GDA for an
average woman. In some cases, manufacturers may remind
you that active men will have ‘higher requirements’
or that children will have ‘lower requirements’.
Alternatively, you may be reminded that children have
‘lower thresholds for salt’.
The important thing to remember is that GDAs
are a guide not a target.
Calories
Sugars
Fat
Saturates
Salt
2000
90g
70g
20g
6g
The table above contains the GDAs for
an average adult
The 5 Key Nutrients
Calories
139
7
Calories
Saturates
Sugars
139
1.0
6.0gg
7
Saturates
Sugars
1.0
6.0gg
57
57
1.Sugars
Calories
Fat
Calories give you the energy that
3.6g
6.0g
you need for your body to function.
The average person needs about
5
7 calories per day.
2,000
2. Sugars
Fat
Salt
Sugars
add sweetness to foods and
drinks.
3.6
g
0.2gThey can be added or naturally
occurring. The average person should
consume
no more than 90g
5
3
sugars per day.
3. Fat
Fat
Salt
Calories
3.6gg
0.2
139
35
7
The GDA fat icon represents the total
Fat
Sugars
amount
of fat in a portion
of the product.
This
includes
both unsaturated
3.6g fat and
g
6.0
saturated fat. The average person should
consume
5 70g fat per day.
7 no more than
4. Saturates
Salt
0.2g
3
Saturates
1.0g
5
The GDA saturates icon represents
theSalt
total amount of saturated fat or
animal fat in a portion of the product.
0.2g
When eaten in excess, saturates can
raise cholesterol, which contributes
3 heart disease. The average
towards
person should consume no more
than 20g saturates per day.
Calories
Sugars
Fat
139
6.0g
3.6g
7
aturates
1.0g
5
7 The
5 Key
5 Nutrients
5. Salt*
Salt
Too much salt in our diets is linked
to high blood pressure and heart disease.
Many of us consume far more salt than
we need, so making sure that you eat
no more than 6g of salt per day
is very important.
0.2g
3
The five key nutrient icons will usually appear
together on a pack like this:
Each portion contains
Calories
Sugars
Fat
Saturates
Salt
139
6.0g
3.6g
1.0g
0.2g
7
7
5
5
3
of an adult’s guideline daily amount
(* Sometimes you may see Sodium on GDA labels instead of Salt.
Sodium is the part of Salt, which is responsible for raising blood pressure.
Sodium content can be converted to Salt content by multiplying it by 2.5
However, whether Salt or Sodium is represented, the % GDA will be the same.)
How to read
your Guideline Daily
Amounts
Looking at the example shown below, we can see at a glance
that a single portion of the product contains 139 calories.
The average daily requirement for calories is approximately 2000.
This product therefore provides 7% of ones guideline daily
amount for energy (see below).
This is the total amount
of calories in one serving
of the product
Each portion contains
Calories
Sugars
Fat
Saturates
Salt
139
6.0g
3.6g
1.0g
0.2g
7
7
5
5
3
of an adult’s guideline daily amount
This is the total percentage
of one adult’s daily guideline
amount for energy
Likewise, GDA labels can be used to quickly and
easily determine the total amount of sugars, fat,
saturates & salt in the product, against your average
daily requirements.
Additional Nutrients
Most GDA labels will give you information for the
5 key nutrients – Calories, Sugars, Fat, Saturates and Salt
or Sodium. However, some manufacturers may also give
you information about some other nutrients, including
Fibre, Protein, Calcium or Vitamin C.
These additional pieces of information can be very useful.
For example, most Irish people do not consume enough
fibre in their diets1. Looking out for higher fibre options,
using the GDA fibre icon can help people to compare
different foods & drinks to make better choices that help
boost their fibre intake.
Where these extra GDAs are provided,
they will look like this:
Each portion contains
Calories
Sugars
Fat
Saturates
Salt
Fibre
139
6.0g
3.6g
1.0g
0.2g
4.8g
7
7
5
5
3
of an adult’s guideline daily amount
1 IUNA, North/South Foods Consumption Survey, 2001.
19
Getting the
Balance right!
Eating well is definitely a bit of a balancing act!
Getting to know what foods should be eaten plentifully
and what foods should be limited to ‘every now and then’
can require a bit of thought.
GDA labels are especially useful because they don’t just
tell you what’s in the product you are about to eat.
They also tell you how a portion of that food or drink fits
in with your overall daily diet, helping you to get the balance right.
Getting to know your GDAs and using them as a guide can
help you to better control your diet.
Getting the
Balance right!
An on-line GDA food calculator has been developed to help.
This calculator operates by asking the user to choose from
a range of products for each of the three daily meals along
with two snacks. It then totals the nutrients consumed
in the day as a percentage of the daily allowance.
This calculator can be accessed by visiting
the following website:
www.whatsinsideguide.com/Foodcalculator.aspx
Examples of
GDA Labelling
GDA labels are a useful tool that enables you to compare
the nutritional content of different types of foods at a glance.
Trying to decide what to have for dinner?
Using the GDA labels shown below, we can see straightaway
that while there is little difference between the total
calorie count for both the Thai Curry and the Pasta,
there is quite a difference in salt content.
Thai Green Curry
Each portion contains
Calories
Sugars
Fat
Saturates
275
4g
11g
2g
14
3
16
10
Salt
2.5g
42
of an adult’s guideline daily amount
Examples of
GDA Labelling
So, if you’re watching your salt intake, the pasta
might be a better option for you.
Pasta with tomato sauce
Each portion contains
Calories
Sugars
Fat
Saturates
Salt
319
9.3g
8.0g
1.5g
1.6g
16
10
11
8
27
of an adult’s guideline daily amount
Information
Consumers
To find out more about how GDAs can help
you to balance your diet, visit:
www.whatsinsideguide.com
Operators
Food Business Operators who are interested
in finding out more should visit our website
at www.fdii.ie and click the GDA icon
on the homepage.
This information booklet is brought to you
by members of Food & Drink Industry Ireland.
Food & Drink Industry Ireland
Confederation House, 84/86 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2.
Telephone: +353 1 6051500 Fax: + 353 1 6381500
www.fdii.ie