To adapt current iron intake reference values for Brazilian children aged 7–11 and 12–23 months, using the opportunity to apply the principles and rationale of the harmonization approach.

Nutrient Reference Values (NRVs), including the Average Requirement (AR) and Population Reference Intake (PRI), were estimated for children aged 7–11 and 12–23 months. We applied and adapted methods from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to estimate the NRVs. Body iron losses, iron needs for growth, and dietary iron bioavailability were estimated using both local and external data.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Data on dietary intake from a probabilistic sample of children aged 7–23 months in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were used to estimate iron consumption and bioavailability.

The mean physiological iron requirements were 0.78 mg/day (7–11 months, male), 0.53 mg/day (7–11 months, female), 0.79 mg/day (12–23 months, male), and 0.54 mg/day (12–23 months, female). Mean dietary iron bioavailability was 7.5% across all age and sex groups. AR and PRI were 10 mg/day and 19 mg/day for children aged 7–11 months, and 7 mg/day and 13 mg/day for those aged 12–23 months. NRVs did not differ by sex.

The ARs for children aged 7–11 and 12–23 months were 11mg/day and 8mg/day, respectively. The corresponding PRIs were 20 mg/day and 14 mg/day. The estimated Brazilian NRVs were higher than those of the IOM and EFSA. Iron bioavailability was the most influential factor explaining the differences from other NRVs.