Added Sugars vs Total Sugars

Since the FDA updated the Nutrition Facts label, you'll see two sugar lines: "Total Sugars" and "Includes Added Sugars." They measure different things, and knowing the difference makes it much easier to follow the Dietary Guidelines' advice on sugar. This guide explains what each line means, what counts as added sugar, and how to use the numbers when you shop.

What "total sugars" means

Total sugars is the sum of all sugars in one serving, no matter where they come from. That includes sugars that occur naturally in foods, such as lactose in milk and yogurt or fructose in fruit, plus any sugars added during processing.

Total sugars have no % Daily Value. The FDA hasn't set one because there's no official recommendation for how much total sugar to eat. Foods with naturally occurring sugars, like plain milk, fruit, and plain yogurt, also supply nutrients such as calcium, potassium, and fiber.

What "added sugars" means

Added sugars are sugars that are added during the processing of foods, or that are packaged as sugars on their own. Under FDA's labeling rules (21 CFR 101.9), this includes:

• Table sugar (sucrose), brown sugar, and powdered sugar
• Syrups, such as corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, maple syrup, and agave syrup
• Honey and molasses
• Sugars from concentrated fruit or vegetable juices that exceed what you'd expect from the same volume of 100% juice

Added sugars are listed in grams with a %DV based on a Daily Value of 50 g. They're indented under total sugars because they're part of that total. If a yogurt shows 15 g total sugars and 8 g added sugars, then about 7 g come from the milk itself and 8 g were added.

Special cases

Single-ingredient sugars like a jar of pure honey or a bottle of pure maple syrup are, by definition, all added sugar. After feedback from producers, FDA guidance allows these products to show a symbol next to the added-sugars %DV with a footnote explaining that the sugar is naturally part of the product and nothing extra was added. Some tart products like dried cranberries can use a similar footnote.

Why added sugars get their own line

The FDA set the 50 g Daily Value in its 2016 Nutrition Facts final rule, based on the 2015–2020 edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which advised keeping added sugars to less than 10% of daily calories for people age 2 and older. On a 2,000-calorie diet, 10% is 200 calories, which equals 50 g of sugar (sugar provides about 4 calories per gram).

The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025–2030, released in January 2026, are stricter. They state that no amount of added sugars (or non-nutritive sweeteners) is recommended as part of a healthy diet, advise that no single meal contain more than 10 g of added sugars, and recommend that children avoid added sugars through about age 10. The Daily Value on the label is set by FDA regulation and still reads 50 g, so treat it as a ceiling rather than an allowance.

According to the Dietary Guidelines, Americans ages 1 and older get an average of more than 13% of their calories from added sugars. The top sources are sugar-sweetened beverages, followed by desserts and sweet snacks, sweetened coffee and tea, and candy.

The American Heart Association suggests an even lower limit for many adults: about 25 g (6 teaspoons) a day for most women and about 36 g (9 teaspoons) for most men. A single 12-ounce regular soda often contains close to 40 g of added sugar, which is roughly 78% of the 50 g Daily Value.

Diets high in added sugars can make it hard to get enough nutrients while staying within calorie needs, according to the Dietary Guidelines. Evidence also links sugar-sweetened beverages in particular with weight gain and a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. That doesn't mean any single food with added sugar is harmful. It means added sugars are worth tracking.

How to read the two lines together

Look at added sugars first

For most shopping decisions, the added sugars line is the more useful one. Use the FDA's rule of thumb: 5% DV or less is low, 20% DV or more is high. A breakfast cereal with 2 g added sugars (4% DV) is low; one with 12 g (24% DV) is high.

Then check total sugars for context

If total sugars are much higher than added sugars, the gap comes from naturally occurring sugar. A plain Greek yogurt might have 6 g total sugars and 0 g added. A flavored version might have 16 g total and 10 g added. Both contain milk sugar; only one has sugar added on top.

Scan the ingredients list

Sugar goes by dozens of names, including dextrose, maltose, evaporated cane juice, rice syrup, fruit juice concentrate, and invert sugar. Because ingredients are listed by weight, a product can list several different sugars that each fall lower in the list, even though together they add up to a lot. The added sugars line now gives you the total, so you don't have to add them up yourself.

Common questions

Is fruit juice added sugar?

100% fruit juice isn't counted as added sugar on the label. However, the Dietary Guidelines note that most of your fruit should come from whole fruit rather than juice, since juice lacks fiber. Juice concentrate used to sweeten other foods, such as a snack bar, does count as added sugar.

Are "no sugar added" products sugar-free?

No. "No sugar added" means no sugars or sugar-containing ingredients were added during processing, under FDA's rules in 21 CFR 101.60. The food may still contain natural sugars. "Sugar free" is a different claim and means less than 0.5 g of sugars per serving.

What about sugar substitutes?

Low- and no-calorie sweeteners like sucralose, aspartame, and stevia aren't counted as added sugars. Sugar alcohols like erythritol can be listed separately on the label. The evidence on these sweeteners is still developing, and we cover it in our guide to sugar alcohols and non-nutritive sweeteners.

How to use this on myfoodfact.com

myfoodfact.com shows the sugar values from each product's label, so you can compare items side by side:

• Browse our low-sugar products to find options in categories like cereal, yogurt, and snacks.
• See which products are highest in sugar in products ranked by sugars, a quick way to spot items to swap.
• If you're managing blood sugar, our diabetes-friendly list filters for lower-sugar products (always check with your care team about your own targets).
• Learn how one common sweetener compares in high-fructose corn syrup vs sugar.

The bottom line

Total sugars tell you how much sugar is in a food. Added sugars tell you how much was put there on purpose. The Dietary Guidelines focus on added sugars, the current edition advises no more than 10 g in any one meal, and the %DV makes it easy to see how much of the 50 g label ceiling a serving uses. Check the added sugars line first, use the 5/20 rule, and remember that naturally sweet foods like fruit and plain dairy come with nutrients many people need.

This guide is for general information and is not medical advice. People managing diabetes or other conditions should follow the guidance of their health care team.