QUID and %NRV on supplement labels: declaring amounts the EU way

An EU food supplement label has to declare its nutrients in a specific way: the amount per recommended daily portion, and — for vitamins and minerals — that amount as a percentage of the nutrient reference value (%NRV). It sounds simple, but getting the figures right, consistently, across a range of products is where labels drift from formulas. Understanding how the declaration works is the first step to keeping it accurate.

Amount per portion, then %NRV

The Food Supplements Directive requires the amount of each nutrient to be declared per the portion recommended for daily consumption. For vitamins and minerals, that amount is also expressed as a percentage of the reference values set in EU law. So a vitamin appears twice in effect — as an absolute amount and as a %NRV — and both have to be right and consistent with each other.

The reference values are defined

The NRVs are fixed figures in EU law, against which the percentage is calculated. The %NRV is simply the declared amount divided by the reference value. Because the reference values are defined, the percentage is a deterministic calculation from the amount — which means any error comes from the amount itself or a mistaken reference value, both avoidable when the declaration is generated from the formula.

Where QUID comes in

QUID — quantitative ingredient declaration — is the general food-law requirement to declare the quantity of an ingredient that's emphasized on the label or in the product name. For supplements, the nutrient amounts are already declared per portion, but QUID thinking still applies to highlighted ingredients: if you feature an ingredient prominently, its quantity has to be apparent. The principle is that emphasized ingredients can't be vague about how much is present.

Amounts have to reflect the real product

The declared amounts must be the amounts actually present — accounting for overage and end-of-life levels where relevant — not the input figures. For a supplement where actives degrade, the declared amount is what the product delivers across shelf life, and the %NRV follows from that. Tying the declaration to the real, end-of-life amounts is what keeps it truthful.

Generated, not retyped

Because the per-portion amounts and %NRVs follow deterministically from the formula and the reference values, generating them from the structured formula removes the arithmetic errors that creep in when labels are maintained by hand — and keeps every product's declaration consistent and current as formulas change.

This is general information, not regulatory or legal advice. Requirements differ by market and change over time, so confirm current rules with the relevant authority or a qualified regulatory expert before relying on them.

Where Lemoniq fits

Lemoniq generates the per-portion amounts and %NRVs from the structured formula and the EU reference values — using the real, end-of-life amounts — so a supplement's nutrient declaration is accurate, consistent, and current across every product and every change.

The takeaway

EU supplement labels declare nutrients per portion and as %NRV against defined reference values, with QUID principles for emphasized ingredients. Because the percentages follow deterministically from the amounts, generating the whole declaration from the formula — on real end-of-life figures — is what keeps it accurate and consistent.

Lemoniq generates per-portion amounts and %NRVs from your formula, accurately. See how it works