Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is the daily dietary intake level of a nutrient that is considered sufficient to meet the requirements of nearly all (97-98%) healthy individuals in each life-stage and gender group. The RDAs are established by the Food and Nutrition Board of the (US) National Academy of Sciences.
They are intended to serve as nutrition guidance to the general public and health professionals. Uses:
- food labels
- composition of diets for schools, prisons, hospitals or nursing homes
- industry developing new food stuffs
- healthcare policy makers and public health officials
The RDA was developed during World War II by Lydia J. Roberts, Hazel K. Stiebeling and Helen S. Mitchell under the auspices of the National Research Council. The National Research Council determined that a set of dietary standards were needed, especially given the possibility that rations would be needed during the war. The standards would be used for nutrition recommendations for the armed forces, for civilians, and for overseas population who might need food relief. Roberts, Stiebeling, and Mitchell surveyed all available data, created a tentative set of allowances, and submitted them to experts for review. The final set of allowances were accepted in 1941. The allowances were meant to provide superior nutrition for civilians and military personnel, so they included a "margin of safety."
In 1997 at the suggestion of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy RDA became one part of a broader set of dietary guidelines called the Dietary Reference Intake or DRI.
The RDA specifications are used in the United States of America. Other countries have their own specifications or standards.
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