Did you know?

In 2006, Waitrose became the first retailer to implement the Food Standards Agency’s traffic-light signposting system on sandwiches and ready meals to highlight fat, sugar and salt content. We’re proud of our industry-leading standards to this day.

What are reference intakes?

Reference intakes (RI) are a useful guide to help you understand the nutritional requirements of a typical adult on a day-to-day basis.

RIs are benchmarks for the amount of energy and key nutrients that can be consumed each day in order to maintain a healthy diet. 

The percentage of the RI for energy and each nutrient is given below the front-of-pack traffic-light panel to indicate how the product contributes to your daily intake.

RIs have replaced GDAs (Guideline Daily Amounts) and, for simplicity, give one set of figures for the average adult aged 19-64. The exact amount of food you require each day will depend on your age, sex, size and how active you are.

Nutritional values

Nutrient reference values (NRVs) are guidelines on the amount of vitamins and minerals that should be consumed on a daily basis to keep you fit and healthy. If a vitamin or mineral is included on a food label, you’ll see what percentage of the NRV that product provides.