What are the Recommended Daily Allowances and how were they calculated?
The RDA’s were set by governments around the world to establish what level of vitamins and minerals were adequate for a general population to prevent deficiency diseases like scurvy, and beriberi. These have been around, in this country, for over 30 years. The most recent update was 1991 in the form of Dietary Reference Values. You will find foods like cereals, often have the percentage RNI (reference nutrient intake) listed on the label. Different countries have set different levels of RDA’s and no-one has yet discovered what levels of nutrients we need to be in ‘tip top health’. Sadly, government diet surveys carried out over the years in this country continue to show that children tend to fall below the recommended daily allowances for some vitamins and minerals.
