The food-labeling glossary

Core acronyms

%DV

Percent Daily Value: how much of a nutrient one serving provides against a 2,000-kcal reference.

RACC

Reference Amount Customarily Consumed: the FDA-set typical serving amount from 21 CFR 101.12 Table 2.

DV

Daily Value: the FDA reference value for a nutrient over a full day.

NRV

Nutrient Reference Value: the EU / international equivalent of DV.

RI

Reference Intake: used on EU labels in place of %DV.

FALCPA

Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (2004): 8 major US allergens.

FASTER Act

Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research Act (2021): added sesame as the 9th major US allergen effective 2023.

PDCAAS

Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score: quality score for protein claims.

PHO

Partially Hydrogenated Oil: banned as GRAS by FDA in 2018 (source of most trans fat).

HSR

Health Star Rating: Australia / NZ front-of-pack 0.5-to-5-star system.

INR

Indian Nutrition Rating: draft FSSAI 5-star front-of-pack system.

FOP

Front of Pack: labels intended to be scannable at retail (Nutri-Score, HSR, warning octagons).

GDA

Guideline Daily Amount: voluntary industry-standard FOP used in Thailand and some other markets.

DSHEA

Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (1994): the regulatory framework for US supplements.

GRAS

Generally Recognized As Safe: FDA status for food ingredients not requiring formal approval.

FSMA

Food Safety Modernization Act: the 2011 law tightening food-safety oversight.

BE

Bioengineered: the USDA-mandated disclosure for GMO ingredients (7 CFR Part 66).

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