---
title: Understanding Added Sugar on Food Labels
date: 2026-09-15
author: Editorial — nutrition content drafted for review by a qualified health professional
category: professional
excerpt: How "added sugar" differs from the sugar that occurs naturally in food, what the Nutrition Facts label really tells you, and the official intake limits worth keeping in mind.
sources:
- World Health Organization. Guideline: Sugars intake for adults and children, 2015. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241549028
- United States FDA. "Added Sugars on the New Nutrition Facts Label". https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-facts-label/added-sugars-new-nutrition-facts-label
- United States FDA. "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-facts-label/daily-value-nutrition-and-supplement-facts-labels
- USDA Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/
---

# Understanding Added Sugar on Food Labels

The word "sugar" on a label or in a product name does not tell you very much. What matters for most of us is whether that sugar is sugar that was *added during processing* or sugar that is *naturally part of the food*. This post explains the difference, points to the official sources, and shows how the numbers relate to the limits published by major health organisations.

> This is an educational explanation. The limits and figures below come from the cited public organisations — mostly the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — not from Noshlog.

## Added sugar versus intrinsic sugar

**Intrinsic sugar** is the sugar that occurs naturally and *within* whole food — for example inside an apple or a carrot.

**Added sugar** is sugar that is added during processing or preparation. The FDA defines added sugars as sugars that are added when the food is processed or prepared, including:

- sugars from **syrups and honey**
- sugars from **concentrated fruit or vegetable juices** in amounts beyond what the same volume of 100% fruit or vegetable juice would provide

Sugars already present in whole or chopped fruit, or in 100% fruit juice, count as intrinsic rather than added.

## What the Nutrition Facts label shows

The FDA requires most packaged foods in the United States to list a separate line for **Added Sugars** under "Total Sugars". The label includes a **Daily Value (DV)** percentage for added sugars, set at **50 grams per day** for the reference (2,000 calorie) diet. The FDA notes that the DV for added sugars is based mainly on the WHO recommendation below.

So a cereal showing "Total Sugars 12 g · Includes 8 g Added Sugars (16% DV)" means that those **8 grams** come from sugars added to the product, and that amount uses up 16% of the reference daily allowance.

## Official limits

The **WHO guideline on sugars intake** for adults and children (2015) makes two recommendations:

1. **Strong recommendation:** reduce the intake of *free sugars* to **less than 10% of total energy** intake.
2. **Conditional recommendation:** reducing it further to **below 5%** of total energy would provide additional health benefits.

"Free sugars" in the WHO guideline include added sugars plus sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices, and fruit juice concentrates. The table below shows what the percentages mean in grams for a typical 2,000-calorie diet (1 g of sugar = 4 kcal):

| Threshold | Share of energy | Approx. grams per day (2,000 kcal diet) |
|---|---:|---:|
| WHO strong recommendation | < 10% | < 50 g |
| FDA Daily Value | 10% | 50 g |
| WHO conditional recommendation | < 5% | < 25 g |

The numbers line up because both the WHO strong recommendation and the FDA DV sit at the same 10% reference point. The 5% level is a voluntary, stricter goal.

## How Noshlog reports sugar

Noshlog stores nutrients **per 100 grams or 100 millilitres** and, where the data allow it, a separately curated **"sugars, added"** figure alongside total sugar. When you log a portion, the app scales those figures to the amount you actually ate, so you can compare a day's intake against the government and WHO limits above.

## What to take away

- Check the **Added Sugars** line, not just "sugars" in the ingredient list.
- An **intrinsic** sugar source (whole fruit) is different from an *added* one, even when the grams look similar.
- The commonly cited targets are **50 g/day** (10% of a 2,000-calorie diet) and a stricter **25 g/day** (5%) — but individual needs differ, which is exactly why a professional should verify anything you rely on.