What Are Added Sugars?
Sugar is found in many foods.
Some foods naturally contain sugar. For example, fruit contains naturally occurring sugars, while milk contains a naturally occurring sugar called lactose.
Other foods contain sugars that are added during processing or preparation.
These are called added sugars.
Added sugars can be found in many foods and drinks, including:
- Soft drinks
- Sweetened coffee and tea
- Cakes
- Cookies
- Candy
- Breakfast cereals
- Sweetened yogurt
- Sauces
- Desserts
- Some packaged snacks
Understanding the difference between naturally occurring sugar and added sugar can make nutrition labels much easier to read.
Added Sugar vs. Natural Sugar
One of the most common misunderstandings about sugar is treating every gram of sugar as exactly the same thing.
Consider two foods.
An Apple
An apple naturally contains sugar.
It also provides:
- Fiber
- Water
- Vitamins
- Minerals
- Other plant compounds
A Sweetened Beverage
A sweetened beverage may contain added sugar but relatively little fiber or other nutrients.
Both contain sugar.
But they are very different foods.
This is why looking only at the total amount of sugar doesn’t always provide enough information.
What Is Naturally Occurring Sugar?
Naturally occurring sugars are sugars that are naturally present in foods.
Examples include:
Fruit
Fruit naturally contains sugars such as fructose and glucose.
Milk
Milk naturally contains lactose.
Plain Yogurt
Plain yogurt can contain naturally occurring lactose from milk.
These sugars are part of the food’s natural composition.
The food also provides other nutrients that can be important when considering the overall nutritional value.
What Is Added Sugar?
Added sugars are sugars added to foods or beverages during processing, preparation, or packaging.
They can be added to:
- Improve sweetness
- Change texture
- Help with browning
- Improve flavor
- Preserve certain foods
- Make products more appealing
Added sugars can appear in many different forms.
For example:
- Table sugar
- Brown sugar
- Syrups
- Honey
- Molasses
- Glucose syrup
- Corn syrup
- Other sweetening ingredients
The exact terminology can vary between products and countries.
This is why reading the ingredient list can be useful in addition to looking at the Nutrition Facts panel.
What Is Total Sugar?
Total Sugars refers to the total amount of sugars in a food.
Depending on the food, this can include both:
- Naturally occurring sugars
- Added sugars
For example, imagine a yogurt contains:
Total Sugars: 15 g
That number alone doesn’t tell you whether all 15 g came from added sugar.
You need to look for the Added Sugars information where it is provided.
What Is Added Sugars on a Nutrition Label?
On Nutrition Facts labels that distinguish added sugars, you may see something like:
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total Sugars | 15 g |
| Includes Added Sugars | 7 g |
This tells you that:
- Total sugar = 15 g
- Added sugar = 7 g
The remaining sugar comes from other sources, such as naturally occurring sugars in the ingredients.
This distinction is particularly useful when comparing foods such as:
- Yogurt
- Breakfast cereals
- Plant-based drinks
- Flavored oatmeal
- Granola
- Snack bars
Why Does Added Sugar Matter?
Added sugars can contribute calories without necessarily providing many other essential nutrients.
Consuming too much added sugar can also make it easier to consume more calories than needed.
This is one reason dietary guidance generally recommends limiting excessive intake of foods and drinks high in added sugars.
However, this doesn’t mean that every food containing added sugar needs to be eliminated.
The amount, frequency, and overall dietary pattern matter.
A small amount of added sugar in one food is very different from a diet dominated by sugar-sweetened drinks, desserts, and highly sweetened packaged foods.
How Much Added Sugar Is Too Much?
There isn’t one simple number that applies identically to every person, but dietary guidelines provide general limits.
For example, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting added sugars to less than 10% of total daily calories for people age 2 and older.
The American Heart Association uses a more specific recommendation for added sugar intake, although its suggested limits differ by sex and individual circumstances.
These recommendations are useful as general guidance rather than a requirement that every person must follow exactly the same number.
Your overall diet matters too.
Added Sugar Is Not the Same as Total Sugar
This distinction is worth repeating because it is easy to miss.
Imagine two products:
| Product A | Product B | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Sugars | 15 g | 15 g |
| Added Sugars | 0 g | 10 g |
Both contain 15 g of total sugar.
But their sugar profiles are very different.
Product A could contain naturally occurring sugar.
Product B contains a significant amount of added sugar.
This is why the Added Sugars line can be useful when comparing packaged foods.
What About Honey?
Honey is often perceived differently from table sugar because it is a natural product.
But from the perspective of added sugars on a food label, honey used as an ingredient is still considered an added sugar.
The same principle applies to several other sweeteners.
“Natural” does not automatically mean “not an added sugar.”
This is an important distinction between:
where a sweetener comes from
and
how the sugar is classified in a food.
What About Maple Syrup?
Maple syrup is another example.
It comes from a natural source, but when it is added to a food or beverage as a sweetener, it contributes added sugars.
This doesn’t mean maple syrup and table sugar are identical in every nutritional respect.
It simply means that the presence of a natural source doesn’t change the basic concept of added sugar.
What About Fruit Juice?
Fruit juice deserves a little more attention.
Whole fruit contains naturally occurring sugar together with fiber and other components of the fruit.
Juice can contain naturally occurring sugars from the fruit, but the physical form of the food is different.
A glass of juice can also be much easier to consume quickly than several whole pieces of fruit.
This is one reason dietary guidance often encourages whole fruit as part of a healthy eating pattern.
The important lesson is:
The food form matters, not just the sugar number.
What About Dried Fruit?
Dried fruit can be confusing because it is still fruit, but removing water concentrates the sugars and calories into a smaller physical volume.
For example, a handful of dried fruit can contain much more sugar by weight than the same weight of fresh fruit.
Some dried fruits also have added sugar.
So when buying dried fruit, check:
- Total sugars
- Added sugars
- Serving size
- Ingredient list
A product containing only fruit is different from one containing fruit plus added sweeteners.
Added Sugars in Breakfast Foods
Breakfast is one area where added sugars can appear unexpectedly.
Consider:
- Breakfast cereals
- Granola
- Flavored oatmeal
- Sweetened yogurt
- Pastries
- Sweetened coffee drinks
A product may appear nutritious because it contains whole grains, fruit, nuts, or other ingredients.
Those ingredients can still be useful.
But it is worth checking whether the product also contains substantial added sugar.
This is where the Nutrition Facts label becomes useful.
Added Sugars in Drinks
Drinks can be particularly important because liquid calories can be consumed quickly.
Added sugar can appear in:
- Soft drinks
- Sweetened tea
- Sweetened coffee
- Energy drinks
- Sports drinks
- Fruit-flavored drinks
Because beverages may not create the same sense of fullness as solid foods for everyone, regularly consuming sugary drinks can contribute substantial amounts of added sugar and calories.
Checking the label can make the amount much easier to understand.
How to Find Added Sugar in a Food
You can use a simple three-step process.
Step 1: Check Total Sugars
Look at the total amount of sugar per serving.
Step 2: Check Added Sugars
If the label provides an added-sugar value, look at that number separately.
Step 3: Check the Ingredients
Look for sweetening ingredients such as:
- Sugar
- Syrups
- Honey
- Molasses
- Other added sweeteners
You don’t need to memorize every possible ingredient name.
The Nutrition Facts label and ingredient list work together.
Why the Ingredient List Still Matters
The Nutrition Facts panel tells you how much sugar is present.
The ingredient list helps you understand what ingredients are used.
For example:
Product A
Total sugars: 8 g
Added sugars: 0 g
Ingredients:
Milk, live cultures.
Product B
Total sugars: 16 g
Added sugars: 8 g
Ingredients may include:
Milk, fruit preparation, sugar, and other ingredients.
The labels give you information that can help explain the difference between the products.
Does “No Added Sugar” Mean No Sugar?
No.
A product labeled “no added sugar” can still contain naturally occurring sugars.
For example, a plain dairy product can contain lactose even when no sugar has been added.
Similarly, a fruit-based product may naturally contain sugar.
So:
No added sugar ≠ sugar-free.
These are different concepts.
This is another reason why checking the Nutrition Facts panel is more useful than relying only on the front of a package.
Does “Sugar-Free” Mean Healthy?
Not necessarily.
A sugar-free product can still contain:
- Fat
- Sodium
- Refined starches
- Calories
- Other ingredients
The term “sugar-free” describes a particular characteristic of the product.
It doesn’t provide a complete nutritional evaluation.
The same principle applies to many front-of-package claims:
One positive or negative characteristic doesn’t describe the entire food.
A Simple Comparison
Imagine you’re choosing between two flavored yogurts.
Yogurt A
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 120 |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Total Sugars | 10 g |
| Added Sugars | 0 g |
Yogurt B
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 140 |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Total Sugars | 18 g |
| Added Sugars | 8 g |
The two products provide the same amount of protein.
But Yogurt B contains more total sugar and more added sugar.
This doesn’t automatically mean Yogurt A is the perfect choice for everyone.
It simply demonstrates how the added-sugar number can provide useful information that the total-sugar number alone cannot.
Should You Avoid All Added Sugar?
For most people, completely eliminating every food containing added sugar is neither necessary nor realistic.
The more useful goal is to understand how much added sugar regularly appears in your diet.
For example, there is a meaningful difference between:
Occasionally eating a dessert
and
Regularly drinking several sugar-sweetened beverages every day.
Both contain added sugar.
But the frequency and amount are very different.
A sustainable diet doesn’t need to be built around avoiding one ingredient at all costs.
A Better Way to Think About Sugar
Instead of asking:
“Does this food contain sugar?”
ask:
Is the Sugar Naturally Occurring or Added?
This provides more context.
How Much Sugar Does One Serving Contain?
Check the Nutrition Facts label.
How Much Added Sugar Is There?
Look specifically at the added-sugar line when available.
What Else Does the Food Provide?
Consider protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
How Much Am I Actually Eating?
Remember the serving-size lesson from Article #007.
How Often Do I Eat It?
Frequency matters when considering your overall dietary pattern.
The Simple Takeaway
Sugar isn’t one single category.
Some sugars occur naturally in foods such as fruit and milk.
Other sugars are added during processing or preparation.
When reading a Nutrition Facts label, pay attention to the difference between:
- Total Sugars
- Added Sugars
Then consider the serving size and ingredient list.
Most importantly, don’t judge a food solely because it contains sugar.
Look at the whole nutritional picture and how the food fits into your overall eating pattern.
Understanding added sugars gives you another useful tool for making sense of food labels—and making choices based on information rather than packaging alone.
Sources & Further Reading
U.S. Food and Drug Administration — Added Sugars on the Nutrition Facts Label
Information about added sugars, total sugars, and how these are presented on Nutrition Facts labels.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
General dietary guidance regarding added sugars and overall healthy eating patterns.
World Health Organization — Healthy Diet
General information about free sugars and healthy dietary patterns.