Dietary intake is the primary contributor to cadmium (Cd) exposure for nonsmokers. Urinary Cd has been widely used as a biomarker for long-term exposure. However, there is a paucity of direct evidence showing the relationship between food consumption and Cd body burden. Previous dietary Cd assessment has been based on total Cd, which may overestimate the risk since only the fraction of Cd in food that absorbed into the systemic circulation is bioavailable. Besides, nutritional status of Zn, Fe, and Ca have been shown to affect Cd absorption in the gastrointestinal tract, but the effects of mineral nutrients on Cd-RBA in food is unknown. Thus, it is essential to determine Cd relative bioavailability (RBA) in food to refine dietary Cd exposure assessment and determine the effective strategies to reduce dietary Cd exposure. A cohort study of 119 nonsmokers with rice as a staple was conducted at a Cd-contaminated district due to pottery production. Cadmium RBA in foods were determined based on a mouse model. Urinary Cd concentrations measured and predicted from rice-Cd intake with and without incorporating Cd-RBA in rice using a toxicokinetics model were compared. The derived relationships were then utilized to predict urinary Cd for nonsmokers at a national scale of China. To determine the effectiveness of mineral supplements to modulate Cd exposure, an in vivo mouse bioassay was conducted to determine Cd-RBA in rice (0.80 mg Cd kg–1) with and without Zn, Fe, or Ca supplements as nitrate. The geometric mean (GM) of urinary Cd was 1.08 µg g–1 creatinine. Applying Cd-RBA in foods (mean 41.5±12.4, 48.0±9.3, 48.8±21.3% for rice, wheat, and vegetables) via a steady state mouse bioassay, rice was the largest contributor (71.1%) to aggregate Cd intake. For 63 participants with paired urine and rice samples, the GM of predicted urinary Cd (4.14 µg g–1) based on total Cd in rice was 3.5 times that of measured urinary Cd (1.20 µg g–1), while incorporating Cd-RBA to assess Cd intake made it closer between the two (1.07 µg g–1). On a national scale, significantly higher urinary Cd was observed for populations living in southern than northern China probably due to higher rice Cd concentration. Among Ca(NO3)2, Zn(NO3)2, and Fe(NO3)3 supplements, 150–5000 mg kg–1 Ca was the most effective in reducing rice Cd-RBA by 31–80% to 8.5–29%, while 30–200 mg kg–1 Zn was ineffective with Cd-RBA being at 33–57%. Low Fe at <40 mg kg–1 had little impact on rice Cd-RBA (39–47%), while high Fe at 80–200 mg kg–1 decreased Cd-RBA by 37% to 26–27%. Incorporating of Cd bioavailability to assess dietary Cd intake is a valuable tool to accurately estimate the potential health effects from rice consumption. Increased dietary levels of Fe and Ca effectively reduced Cd exposure by decreasing Cd-RBA in rice, thereby reducing Cd accumulation in humans via rice intake. Research aiming to reveal the association between Cd exposure and health impact should consider Cd bioavailability in foods. Effective nutrient supplement strategies may be used to alleviate human Cd exposure from rice consumption and the associated health risks.