DAILY VALUES (DVs) A term on new food labels that represents age-adjusted average levels of protein, fat, cholesterol, carbohydrates (including dietary fiber and sugars), vitamins and minerals recommended for various groups of people of different ages and sexes as established by the National Academy of Sciences.

Since they are averages, many Daily Value figures are lower than the familiar U.S.RDAs which represented the highest values for each nutrient. In some cases, DVs are also lower due to new nutritional evidence considered by the National Academy. DVs serve as a yardstick for food comparisons and not as a strict dietary prescription. -see Daily Reference Values (DRVs), Reference Daily Intakes (RDIs), Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs), U.S. Recommended Daily Allowances (U.S. RDAs)