Term | Definition |
Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) | Nutrient intake values for healthy people in the USA and Canada. |
Essential Nutrients | Nutrients a person must obtain from food becausethe body can not make them for itself in sufficient quanity to meet physiological needs |
Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) | The average daily amount of a nutrient considered adequate to meet the known nutrient needs of healthy people |
Daily Values (DV) | Reference values developed by the FDA specifically for use on food labels |
Enriched | The addition to a food of nutrients that were lost during processing so that the food will meet a specific standard |
Fortified | The addition to a food of nutrients that were either not originally present or present in insignificant amounts |
Nutrient Density | A measure of the nutrients a food provides relative to the energy it provides. The more nutrients and fewer calories, the higher the density |
Processed Foods | Foods that have been treated to change their physical, chemical, microbiological, or sensory properties |
Refined | The process by which the coarse parts of food are removed. |
Whole Grain | A grain milled in its entirety, not refined |
Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) | A plant, animal, or microorganism that is transformed by genetic engineering. |
Genetically Engineered (GE) | Genetically engineered foods have had foreign genes inserted into their genetic codes. |
Free Range | Of, relating to, or produced by animals, especially poultry, that have access to outside spaces and are permitted to graze or forage and range freely for food rather than being confined in an enclosure or feedlot as with free-range chickens. |
Certified Organic | There are four organic classifications for organic food that meet strict standards set forth by the USDA National Organic Program (NOP). |
Natural | Natural foods do not contain additives or preservatives but ingredients may have been grown using conventional farming methods or genetically engineered grain. |
Organic | Agriculture that does not use chemicals, genetic modification, or irradiation, using only natural products. |