U.S. National Academies

The U.S. National Academies are private, non-governmental organizations that provide independent advice on issues of science, technology and medicine. Committees of experts are brought together, as unpaid volunteers, to address specific issues and produce authoritative reports. Four organizations make up the Academies:

• The National Academy of Sciences
• The National Academy of Engineering
• The Institute of Medicine
• The National Research Council

In an effort to harmonize nutrition recommendations in Canada and the United States, Health Canada became one of the sponsors of a project coordinated by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine to synthesize relevant scientific evidence and provide updated nutrient recommendations. These new recommendations are termed the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs). Canadian nutrition scientists are involved in establishing these updated nutrient reference values, which replace the 1990 Recommended Nutrient Intakes in Canada and the 1989 Recommended Dietary Allowances in the United States.