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Food label percent Daily Value helper
A Nutrition Facts label shows percent Daily Value (%DV) for most nutrients, but not for every nutrient and not for the amount you actually eat. This helper does the division for you: pick a nutrient, enter the amount per serving from the label, and say how many servings you ate. Nothing leaves your device.
Worked example (shown when scripts are off): a label lists 460 mg of sodium per serving. The Daily Value for sodium is 2,300 mg, so 460 divided by 2,300 is 0.2, or 20% DV. By the 5% and 20% rule of thumb that is high.
General information only
Daily Values are reference amounts used on labels. They are not your personal targets, and this helper does not say how much you should eat. If you have a health condition, take medicines, are pregnant, or have been given specific limits by a doctor or dietitian, follow their advice instead.
The rule in words
Percent Daily Value equals the amount in one serving divided by the Daily Value for that nutrient, times 100. The Daily Values used here are the ones on current US Nutrition Facts labels for adults and children aged 4 and over: total fat 78 g, saturated fat 20 g, cholesterol 300 mg, sodium 2,300 mg, total carbohydrate 275 g, dietary fiber 28 g, added sugars 50 g, protein 50 g, vitamin D 20 mcg, calcium 1,300 mg, iron 18 mg and potassium 4,700 mg.
The result for several servings is the per-serving figure multiplied by the number of servings. The helper rounds to one decimal place.
The 5 percent and 20 percent rule
The FDA describes 5% DV or less per serving as low and 20% DV or more as high. It suggests choosing foods more often that are higher in fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium, and lower in saturated fat, sodium and added sugars. The helper labels a result as low, high or in between using exactly those cut-offs. It is a quick way to compare products, not a verdict on any food.
Worked example
A snack label lists 2.8 g of fiber per serving and you eat two servings. The fiber Daily Value is 28 g, so one serving is 2.8 divided by 28, or 10% DV. Two servings give 5.6 g and 20% DV.
Limits to keep in mind
- Check the serving size at the top of the label. It is often smaller than what people actually eat.
- Protein %DV is not listed on every label, and the 50 g reference is a label convention, not a personal protein need. See how much protein you actually need for how needs differ.
- Labels in other countries use different reference values. Use the "other" option and the figure printed on your label.
- Percent Daily Value says nothing about food quality, processing or how a food fits your whole day.
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Where this comes from
The Daily Values and the 5 percent and 20 percent guidance come from the US Food and Drug Administration's pages on the Nutrition Facts label and the Daily Value, read in October 2026. The formula is plain division. These reference values are set by regulators and can be revised, so if your label or the FDA lists a different figure, trust the label.