SANITARIUM'S NEW CEREALS LABELLING
At Sanitarium we understand that you want to make more informed decisions about the genuine nutrition of the food products that you buy. You may already use the nutrition information
TOTAL DAILY INTAKE
What is Total Daily Intake (DI)?
Total Daily Intake (DI) is a set of reference values for the acceptable intakes of a variety of nutrients, as well as energy. The nutrients include carbohydrates, sugars, protein, total fat, saturated fat, fibre and sodium.
What are the DI values based upon?
The DI values are based on an average adult's daily requirement of 8700kJ. Your DIs may be higher or lower depending on your energy needs. DIs are not recommendations, but rather an acceptable intake which provides a benchmark suitable for the majority of people. The DI values are not a target for your day's intake nor are they an average. The DI values should be used as a guide to help you make informed choices about the foods you eat.
What is % DI?
Percentage DI represents on a single scale, the energy and selected nutrient contributions made by a serve of the chosen product to a person's daily requirements.
What are the DI values and what do they mean?
| Energy & Nutrient | Daily Intake Value |
|---|---|
| Energy | 8700kJ |
| Protein | 50g |
| Fat | 70g |
| Saturated Fat | 24g |
| Carbohydrate | 310g |
| Total Sugars | 90g |
| Dietary Fibre | 30g |
| Sodium | 2300mg |
Energy: The energy DI is calculated based on the average daily energy requirements of an average adult.
Protein: The DI for protein is based on the average daily protein requirement for men and women.
Fat: The fat DI is based on the recommendation that no more than 30% of our total daily energy intake should come from fat, which equates to 70g.
Saturated Fat: The DI for saturated fat is based on the recommendation that <10% of energy should come from saturated fat (24g). As saturated fat is included in total fat, this 24g is not in addition to the 70g of total fat, rather it should be included in the 70g.
Carbohydrate: The carbohydrate DI is based on the recommendation that 60% of daily energy intake should come from carbohydrate.
Total Sugars: The DI for sugar is 90g and is part of the recommended total daily carbohydrate intake, and is not in addition to.
Fibre: The DI for fibre is based on the Australian Government recommendations for adults to consumer at least 30g of dietary fibre each day.
Sodium: The DI for sodium is 2300mg and is based on the maximum sodium Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI).
All DI values are based on government recommendations such as the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, the Australian Dietary Guidelines and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Recommended Dietary Intakes (RDIs).
How are Total DI values relevant to children when it is based on a male adult?
The daily intake values are those for an average adult and these are in line with the Food Standards Code. The code makes provision for the inclusion of information relating to the daily intake of nutrients set out in a nutrition information panel but they must be based on an average adult diet of 8700kJ.
What do I do if I am pregnant or lactating?
Like children, the DI values are hard to apply to pregnant or lactating women, as they are based on the average daily intake of an average adult.
For further advice contact a health professional such as your doctor or an Accredited Practising Dietician (APD). If you would like more information on getting to know your food, please contact us on 1800 HEALTH and speak to our team of qualified dieticians and nutritionists.
What does it mean having the Total Daily Intake in grams and not percentage?
Sanitarium supports a consumer centric nutrition labelling solution that is simple, clear and easy to understand and not reliant on complicated percentages. Sanitarium believes it is important to consider the quality of energy and nutrients in a product particularly in context of its whole food content including natural whole grain ingredients.
Our research has shown that percentages can be confusing to many. Daily intake comparisons of nutrient content on a gram content basis may be more appropriate, especially given that nutrient intakes are additive across all foods consumed. For example, for total fat, the Daily Intake value is 70g. This 70g can be used as a general guide as to how much total fat you should be eating in a day. A serve of Weet-Bix (2 Weet-Bix without milk) contains 0.4g total fat. You can see that this is a small contribution to your daily fat intake.
Why don't we have % DI on Sanitarium packaging?
Sanitarium is supportive of the food industry helping consumers understand how to make healthy choices to improve their health and wellbeing. However Sanitarium does not believe the AFGC % Daily Intake Front of Pack initiative will really help most people towards this goal. The % daily intake value only provides information about the quantity of nutrients not the quality of nutrition.
Sanitarium believes that the % of Daily Intake approach to food labelling may actually confuse consumers because this approach assumes that:
1. Consumers can read and understand percentages.
2. All foods will carry % Daily Intake information.
3. Consumers are able to simultaneously monitor several nutrients and maintain the correct daily intake of each.
4. Consumers are able to sum % Daily Intake for all foods and all nutrients eaten during the day.
5. Consumers understand how their circumstances (male/female, active/sedentary, age-related needs) affect their daily intake and know how to work out their personal daily intake, according to their lifestyle and personal circumstances.
Sanitarium's focus is on providing consumers with the 'quality of nutrition' information and believes it is important to consider the quality of energy and nutrients in a product particularly in context of its whole food content including natural whole grain ingredients. We believe that the % daily intake scheme ignores the quality and source of the energy and nutrients and fails to give consumers an indication of highly refined and processed ingredients.
