Table 1.
Current and proposed levels of fortification of US ready-to-eat (RTE) cereal
| Baseline fortification, pre-NLR DV and RACC* | Zero fortification† | Optimized fortification, post-NLR DV and RACC† | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nutrient | %DV | Amount/100 g RTE cereal‡ | %DV | Amount/100 g RTE cereal | %DV | Amount/100 g RTE Cereal§ |
| Vitamin A | 10 | 1667 IU | 0 | 0 IU | 10 | 225 μg RAE (750 IU) |
| Vitamin C | 10 | 20 mg | 0 | 0 mg | 10 | 22·5 mg |
| Vitamin D | 10 | 133 IU | 0 | 0 IU | 10 | 5 μg (200 IU) |
| Thiamin | 25 | 1·25 mg | 0 | 0 mg | 20 | 0·6 mg |
| Riboflavin | 25 | 1·42 mg | 0 | 0 mg | 10 | 0·33 mg |
| Niacin | 25 | 16·7 mg | 0 | 0 mg | 10 | 4 mg NE |
| Vitamin B6 | 25 | 1·67 mg | 0 | 0 mg | 20 | 0·85 mg |
| Folic acid | 50 | 667 μg | 0 | 0 mg DFE | 20 | 200 µg DFE (120 µg)¶ |
| Vitamin B12 | 25 | 5 μg | 0 | 0 mg | 20 | 1·2 μg |
| Ca | 10 | 333 mg | 0 | 0 mg | 10 | 325 mg |
| Fe|| | 25 | 15 mg | 0 | 0 mg | 20 | 9 mg |
| Zn | 25 | 12·5 mg | 0 | 0 mg | 20 | 5·5 mg |
NLR, Food and Drug Administration’s Nutrition Label Reform(24); DV, Daily Value; RACC, reference amount customarily consumed; %DV, percentage of the Daily Value; RAE, retinol activity equivalents; NE, niacin equivalents; DFE, dietary folate equivalents.
Current fortification levels are a typical representation of most RTE cereals; however, not all RTE cereals are fortified to these precise levels. In the baseline condition, we show results for the percentage of the population below the Estimated Average Requirement and above the Tolerable Upper Intake Level based on current intakes of cereal and the most recent version of the US Department of Agriculture’s National Nutrient Database.
These are modelled changes to the fortification scheme of RTE cereals. In modelling these fortification levels, we assumed only a decrease in nutrients. That is, we did not model an increase in nutrients among RTE cereals fortifying below these levels the baseline levels.
Pre-NLR RACC for RTE cereals are 30 g for medium-weight cereals and 55 g for heavy-weight cereals(24). The DV are reported in the units in which they appeared in the regulations. The DV for several nutrients (i.e. vitamin A, vitamin D, niacin, and folic acid) changed units under NLR regulation. The conversion to the previous DV unit is provided for clarity.
Post-NLR RACC for RTE cereals are 40 g for medium-weight cereals and 60 g for heavy-weight cereals(24). The DV are reported in the units in which they appeared in the regulations. The DV for several nutrients (i.e. vitamin A, vitamin D, niacin, and folic acid) changed units under NLR regulation. The conversion to the previous DV unit is provided for clarity.
RTE cereals that qualify for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children are fortified at higher Fe level; that is, 45 %DV(29).
We assumed all folate in RTE cereal is the folic acid form when converting μg DFE to μg.