{"topic_id":"USDA_FDC_DRI_calculations","category":"usda","context":"The scientific basis for pet food micronutrient specifications is the National Research Council's \"Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats\" (latest 2006), not USDA's DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) framework — DRIs are National Academies reference values for human nutrition, and USDA maintains composition databases rather than requirement standards. The AAFCO Dog and Cat Food Nutrient Profiles were explicitly built on NRC recommendations: the original Canine and Feline Nutrition Expert Subcommittees (1990-1992) derived profile minimums from the NRC publications then current (Dzanis, J. Nutr. 124:2535S-2539S, 1994), and FEDIAF 2025 likewise states that its recommended levels are based on NRC (2006) recommendations adjusted for an assumed 80% apparent protein digestibility and typical energy intakes. Where this topic previously cited \"DRI\" figures — e.g., vitamin D for dogs 50-200 IU/kg DM or a 15 mg/kg FEDIAF copper cap — they do not match the sources: FEDIAF 2025 lists dog vitamin D minimums of 63.90/55.20 IU per 100 g DM (nutritional maximum 320) and a legal copper maximum of 2.80 mg per 100 g DM (= 28 mg/kg). When AAFCO revises a profile (as in the 2014 calcium maximum split), the trigger is expert-subcommittee review of NRC and primary research, not a USDA DRI update.\n","sources":["generated from .md only"],"tokens_estimated":149,"generated_at":"2026-07-16","tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}