Global trends in the revision of nutrient reference values and formulations for infants and toddlers.

Background and objectives: Nutrient Reference Values (NRVs) play an important role in nutrition labeling and nutrition and health claims based on scientific data. This study, with a global perspective, reviewed recent trends in NRVs for adults and their establishment for infants and toddlers.

Methods and study design: We searched for laws and regulations on official government websites for nutrition labeling in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, South Korea, Japan, the Codex Committee, and the European Union.

Results: NRV revisions have been made in the United States, Canada, and South Korea. In the United States and Canada, NRVs for most nutrients, including macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals, were revised in 2016, reflecting updated Dietary Reference Intakes and new scientific findings. NRVs for infants and toddlers have already been formulated in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea and are used for nutrition labeling. However, concerns have been raised regarding the labeling of all foods with NRVs for infants and toddlers, which may result in challenges in distinguishing foods formulated under different standards as appropriate for infants and toddlers.

Conclusions: This study highlights recent general NRV revisions and formulation status for infants and toddlers. This provides useful information for determining the basis for future updates and the development of NRVs in various countries.