What Does 8,700 kJ (~2,000 cals) Look Like? Kilojoules and Food Labels Explained

Written by Robbie Clark, BExSc (Nutrition), M (Nutr+Diet), Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) and Exercise Scientist · Last updated 19 October 2026 · 4 references

You've probably seen "8,700 kJ" (2,080 calories) on food labels, but what does that actually look like on your plate? Here's where the number comes from, why where your kilojoules come from matters, and two very different ways a day of eating can add up.

Why is 8,700 kJ (2,080 calories) on food labels?

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) uses 8,700 kJ (2,080 calories) as the daily reference amount for an average adult eating in line with the Australian Dietary Guidelines. When a label shows the percentage daily intake (%DI), it tells you how much of that reference amount one serve provides. Labels that show %DI must say that it's "based on an average adult diet of 8700 kJ".³

The %DI covers energy, protein, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars and sodium, and sometimes dietary fibre.

How many kilojoules do you need a day?

It depends on you. 8,700 kJ (2,080 calories) is an average, not a target. Your needs depend on your age, sex, height, weight and how active you are, and they go up during growth, pregnancy and breastfeeding. A tall, active young man may need far more than 8,700 kJ (2,080 calories), while a smaller, less active older woman may need less. The Eat for Health website has a calculator to estimate your needs.⁴

Are all kilojoules equal?

A kilojoule is a unit of energy, so on paper a kilojoule from fruit is the same as one from pizza. But different foods affect your appetite and how much you end up eating in very different ways.

In a tightly controlled trial, 20 adults spent two weeks on an ultra-processed diet and two weeks on an unprocessed diet. Both offered the same kilojoules, sugar, fat, salt, fibre and protein, and people could eat as much as they liked. On the ultra-processed diet, they ate about 2,100 kJ (500 calories) more a day, ate faster and gained about 0.9 kg. On the unprocessed diet, they lost about the same.¹

Protein also uses more energy to digest than carbohydrate or fat and helps you feel full.² Foods high in fibre and water, like vegetables, fruit and legumes, fill you up for fewer kilojoules.

Why does eating the right amount matter?

Eating too little, or without enough variety, can leave you short of nutrients, tired and unable to concentrate, and over time can affect your hormones, bones and mental health. Eating more than you need over time leads to weight gain, which raises the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and some cancers.

What does a nutritious day of eating look like?

Here's an example of a day built on nutritious foods. It comes in under the 8,700 kJ (2,080 calorie) benchmark while including all five food groups:

• Breakfast: ½ cup muesli with 3 tablespoons natural or Greek yoghurt, ¾ cup mixed berries and a sprinkle of cinnamon
• Morning snack: a regular skim latte
• Lunch: a large salad with 1 cup salad greens, a 90 g tin of tuna (drained), ¼ small avocado, a handful of cherry tomatoes, ¼ cup capsicum, 1 teaspoon pumpkin seeds and 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon and balsamic dressing
• Afternoon snack: an apple and 10 walnut halves
• Dinner: 160 g cooked chicken breast with ½ cup each of broccoli, green beans and peas, a small carrot, ½ cup cooked quinoa and 1 tablespoon olive oil
• After dinner: 2 squares of dark chocolate

How quickly do energy-dense foods add up?

Now compare a day built on café and takeaway choices:

• Breakfast: 2 slices of Turkish toast with butter and yeast spread, and a large full-cream cappuccino
• Morning snack: a slice of café banana bread
• Lunch: a large beef burger with cheese and sauce, large fries and a 600 mL bottle of regular soft drink
• Afternoon snack: a cup of tea with full-cream milk

Before dinner, this day has already gone well past 8,700 kJ (2,080 calories), with very little fibre, vegetables or fruit. The answer isn't to skip dinner to make up for it. It's that a few swaps earlier in the day, such as wholegrain toast instead of Turkish bread, fruit instead of banana bread, or a sandwich and water instead of a burger, fries and soft drink, leave room for a satisfying evening meal.

Frequently asked questions

Is 8,700 kJ the same as 2,000 calories?

Roughly. 8,700 kJ is about 2,080 calories, as there are about 4.2 kJ in a calorie.

Should I eat exactly 8,700 kJ (2,080 calories) a day?

No. It's an average used for food labels; your own needs may be higher or lower.³

What does %DI mean on a food label?

It's the percentage of an average adult's daily intake of energy or a nutrient that one serve provides.³

Are ultra-processed foods worse for weight?

In a controlled trial, people ate about 2,100 kJ (500 calories) more a day on an ultra-processed diet and gained weight.¹

Which foods fill you up for fewer kilojoules?

Vegetables, fruit, legumes, wholegrains and lean protein foods tend to be more filling for the energy they provide.

References

Research (PubMed)

1. Hall KD, Ayuketah A, Brychta R, et al. Ultra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gain: an inpatient randomized controlled trial of ad libitum food intake. Cell Metab. 2019;30(1):67–77.e3. PubMed 31105044
2. Westerterp KR. Diet induced thermogenesis. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2004;1(1):5. PubMed 15507147

Australian guidelines

3. Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Labelling Review Recommendation 17: per serving declarations in the nutrition information panel – consultation paper (2014). View source
4. NHMRC. Eat for Health: nutrients and dietary energy calculator. View source

This article is general information, not medical advice. Your energy needs are individual – speak with your practitioner about your own situation.