In order to engage experts from United States and Canada in discussion on the issues about the development and application of the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs), the Food and Nutrition Board convened a three-day workshop entitled ”The Development of DRIs, 1994-2004 : Lessons Learned and New Challenges” in Washington, DC from September 18-20, 2007. The present paper provides an overview of the issues concerning general guidance for users of DRIs that emerged during the workshop. The paper gives special attention to the following 3 areas : 1. The meaning of the term ”uses” as they relate to DRIs has caused confusion. ”Uses” in the context of the DRIs is a generic term that focuses on planning and assessment for the general population, but does not refer to use as a specific guideline for assessing and planning in clinical and dietetic settings. 2. The main problem voiced regarding the misuse of DRIs is the difficulty in understanding them. 3. Practitioners such as dietitians are uncertain how to apply them. They are interested in guidelines that have more ”clarity”, are ”practical”, and ”simple”, and want more guidance on use with individuals, i.e., dietary guidelines and my pyramid. The lessons learned and the knowledge gained during the workshop will help to guide decisions about the next phase of the DRIs.

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