Vitamin A — FDA Daily Value

The FDA Daily Value for Vitamin A is 900 mcg RAE for adults and children 4 or more years of age — a Reference Daily Intake (RDI), a fixed target not tied to calories. It changes by population group; see the exact numbers below.

Population group
Daily Value
Low (5% of DV)
High (20% of DV)
Adults & children 4+
900 mcg RAE
45 mcg RAE
180 mcg RAE
Children 1–3 years
300 mcg RAE
15 mcg RAE
60 mcg RAE
Pregnant & lactating
1,300 mcg RAE
65 mcg RAE
260 mcg RAE
Infants 0–12 months
500 mcg RAE
25 mcg RAE
100 mcg RAE
Example

A serving with 270 mcg RAE of vitamin a provides 270 ÷ 900 × 100 = 30% DV (High).

Vitamin A rounding rules

Amount

Vitamin A is declared to the nearest 10mcg_rae — measuring finer than that changes nothing on the label.

Amount rounding rules for this nutrient, with the paragraph of 21 CFR 101.9 that sets them
Amount rangeRounding rule
≥0nearest 10mcg_rae
Source

% Daily Value

% Daily Value rounding rules for this nutrient, with the paragraph of 21 CFR 101.9 that sets them
%DV rangeRounding rule
0 to 10nearest 2%
>10 to 50nearest 5%
>50nearest 10%
Source

How much Vitamin A is behind each %DV?

What a serving has to contain for a label to print each figure. The %DV is worked out from the actual amount, before that amount is rounded.

How much Vitamin A a serving must contain for a label to print each %DV
If the label showsThe serving must contain
Nearest 2%0 to 10% DV
0% DV0 mcg RAE≤ amount <9 mcg RAE
2% DV9 mcg RAE≤ amount <27 mcg RAE
4% DV27 mcg RAE≤ amount <45 mcg RAE
6% DV45 mcg RAE≤ amount <63 mcg RAE
8% DV63 mcg RAE≤ amount <81 mcg RAE
10% DV81 mcg RAE≤ amount <112.5 mcg RAE
Nearest 5%>10 to 50% DV
15% DV112.5 mcg RAE≤ amount <157.5 mcg RAE
20% DV157.5 mcg RAE≤ amount <202.5 mcg RAE
25% DV202.5 mcg RAE≤ amount <247.5 mcg RAE
30% DV247.5 mcg RAE≤ amount <292.5 mcg RAE
35% DV292.5 mcg RAE≤ amount <337.5 mcg RAE
40% DV337.5 mcg RAE≤ amount <382.5 mcg RAE
45% DV382.5 mcg RAE≤ amount <427.5 mcg RAE
50% DV427.5 mcg RAE≤ amount <495 mcg RAE
Nearest 10%>50% DV
60% DV495 mcg RAE≤ amount <585 mcg RAE
70% DV585 mcg RAE≤ amount <675 mcg RAE
80% DV675 mcg RAE≤ amount <765 mcg RAE
90% DV765 mcg RAE≤ amount <855 mcg RAE
100% DV855 mcg RAE≤ amount <945 mcg RAE

The rules are FDA's; the inversion is ours. Ranges are inclusive at the low end and exclusive at the high end, because an exact half rounds up.

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Frequently asked questions

Every figure on this page traces to a paragraph of 21 CFR 101.9. These are those paragraphs, in full.

What is the FDA Daily Value for Vitamin A?

The FDA Daily Value for Vitamin A is 900 mcg RAE for adults and children 4 years and older, per 21 CFR 101.9. On a Nutrition Facts label, a serving's %DV for vitamin a is its amount divided by 900 mcg RAE, times 100.

How are vitamin and mineral %DV values rounded?

The percentages for vitamins and minerals shall be expressed to the nearest 2-percent increment up to and including the 10-percent level, the nearest 5-percent increment above 10 percent and up to and including the 50-percent level, and the nearest 10-percent increment above the 50-percent level.

Note: Amount increments for vitamins and minerals come from FDA Guidance 2018/2019, not from CFR text.

Read on eCFR

Where do the Daily Values for vitamins and minerals come from?

The following RDIs, nomenclature, and units of measure are established for the following vitamins and minerals which are essential in human nutrition:

Note: The Daily Value itself is listed in the RDI table this paragraph introduces, not restated as prose.

Read on eCFR

How do I find out how much vitamin a is in a food?

A Daily Value is a reference target, not a measurement of any particular food. To find the vitamin a content of a specific ingredient or product, look it up in USDA FoodData Central, then use that amount here to see what a label would declare and what %DV it carries.

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Other nutrients

Every nutrient a Nutrition Facts label can carry, with the FDA rounding rules that govern it.

For informational purposes only; verify against § 101.9(c)(8)(iv). · US Nutrition Label Rules v1.3.0 · CFR snapshot 2026-02-12

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