You're in the shop with two packs in your hands. The fronts are both fruit and a round percentage. We have done this more times than we can count, including with our own.
The useful part is on the back, in type you have to tilt towards the light.
The short answer
- % NRV is an adult labelling figure, not a recommendation for your child.
- Compare a day's worth, not one gummy against one tablet.
- A long list of nutrients is not the same as a useful amount of each.
- "Tested" only counts if you can open the document.
- Pocket Kids magnesium at 100 mg looks modest next to a vitamin at 500%. Read the milligrams.
Turn it over. Find the day, not the scoop
The number that matters is how much the pack says to take in a day, and how much of each nutrient sits in that day's worth.
Brands mix this up, by habit or by design. One lists amounts per tablet. Another per two gummies. Until you convert both to a day, you are not comparing products. You are comparing serving suggestions.
If it is for children, the age line is as important as the dose. "From 4 years" is not a mood. It is who the formula was made for.
Directive 2002/46/EC is the European rule for what a food supplement even is. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 is the rule for the numbers on the back. Format is a different page: powder, gummies, tablet or syrup.
The percentage is not for your child
NRV means Nutrient Reference Value. On packs in Europe it is a set of adult figures, so that 50% on two different tubs means the same adult ruler. Vitamin C's NRV is 80 mg. Vitamin D's is 5 µg. Iron's is 14 mg. Magnesium's is 375 mg.
It is not what an eight-year-old needs. It is not what a teenager needs. It is not even, strictly, what you need. It is a ruler.
So a children's product at 100% NRV of vitamin D is showing 5 µg, measured against an adult number. Whether 5 µg is a sensible amount for your child is a different question. EFSA answers that one. The tub does not. The vitamin D age table is here.
Read the milligrams first. Then the percentage. Then the age.
Three lines that beat the front of the pack
What form the mineral is in. Magnesium oxide and magnesium bisglycinate are both magnesium. They are not interchangeable, and the label should name the form, not only the mineral. We use bisglycinate. That is a formulation descriptor, not an absorption claim.
Sugar, sweeteners, "other ingredients". Not a moral test. A gummy with glucose syrup near the top is a sweet. A powder that lists a flavouring is telling you the taste does not come from a handful of berries, however pretty the photo.
Who it is for. Adults, children over a stated age, pregnancy, or none of those. If the pack does not say, put it back.
"Tested" is a word until you can open a file
It can mean the factory weighed the batch. It can mean a named lab measured a named nutrient against the label. It can mean they checked for germs. Those are different jobs, and the lid does not tell you which.
Ask for the certificate of analysis for the batch you might buy. Named lab, named tests, a date. If a brand cannot point you to that, "tested" is doing the same work as the smiling fruit.
We publish ours. Read them the way you would read anyone else's: batch number, date, what was measured, whether it matched the label. If they look thin, say so. We would rather you asked. How to read that PDF is here.
In Ireland the FSAI looks after this. In Portugal, the DGAV sits in the same European rulebook. In Spain, AESAN. Same Directive, three national doors.
Our next release is on its way.
Our first small release is complete, and we're getting the next one ready. Join early access and you'll get 10% off your first order. We'll email your code as soon as ordering opens.
Where My Daily Pocket fits
A busy panel can still be a small dose. Pocket Kids carries 100 mg of magnesium. That sits beside food. It is not a day's worth on its own. Against the adult NRV of 375 mg it prints as 26.7%. Against EFSA's adequate intake for a child of 3 to 10, 230 mg, it is a real slice. The magnesium page is here.
| Formula | Age line | Magnesium | Vitamin D3 | Iron |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pocket Kids | 4–11 | 100 mg | 25 µg | None |
| Pocket Teens | 12–17 | 150 mg | 35 µg | None |
| Pocket Adults | 18+ | 200 mg | 35 µg | None |
Read the milligrams, not only a loud % NRV on vitamin D. Teens is not for a child of eight. Pregnancy needs prenatal care, not this pouch.
Count the nutrients and we look thorough. Read the amounts and you can see what we chose not to pretend. We contain no iron. If it is not on the label, it is not in the pouch. Anyone talking about iron while selling this is talking about a different product.
Two minutes in the shop
- Daily dose, and the age line.
- Amounts in mg or µg, not the line at the top.
- % NRV only to compare two adult packs.
- Sugar, flavouring, the form of the bulky minerals.
- A batch test you can actually open.
If that takes longer than choosing by colour, the pack is doing its job.
FAQ
What does 500% on vitamin D mean?
The adult NRV is 5 µg. 25 µg is 500% of that ruler, not five times a child's daily figure.
Is % NRV what my child needs?
No. It is an adult labelling ruler, so two packs can be compared. Read milligrams, then EFSA, then age.
Does "tested" on the lid count?
Only if you can open a file with a batch number, a named lab, a date, and a result against the label.
Why does your magnesium look low?
Because it is measured against 375 mg. 100 mg in Pocket Kids is a complement to food, not a full day.
Do you hide iron off the panel?
No. There is no iron. If a salesperson mentions iron while holding this pouch, they have the wrong product.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex XIII (NRVs)
- Directive 2002/46/EC on food supplements
- EFSA, dietary reference values
- FSAI, food supplements
- DGAV
- AESAN
- How to read a lab result
- Powder, gummies, tablet or syrup
About the authors
Lina is a co-founder of My Daily Pocket and is certified in nutrition. Stanislava is a co-founder. They write the Knowledge Hub together.
Last reviewed: 15 October 2026.
Food supplements should not replace a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. No supplement is a substitute for a varied, balanced diet. Stay within the dose on the pack. This page does not replace a GP. If you are pregnant, on medicines, or a child has a medical condition, speak to a professional.
Our first small release is complete and ordering is paused. Join early access for 10% off the first order from the next release. We will email the code when ordering opens.
