Cake Mix Ingredients: Sugar

Sugar is a type of carbohydrate that tastes sweet. The most common kind, called sucrose, comes from plants like sugarcane and sugar beets. It is processed to create the white crystals we often use in cooking and baking.

Manufacturers add sugar mainly to make foods taste sweet. It also helps with texture, browning during cooking, and can act as a preservative in large amounts. You can find sugar in many foods, including baked goods, drinks, candies, and processed snacks.

In the United States, sugar is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Sugar provides energy in the form of calories. The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend no specific amount of added sugars, suggesting at most 10 grams per meal. The World Health Organization (WHO) advises keeping intake of free sugars below 10% of total daily energy. Both JECFA and EFSA have evaluated sugars and consider them safe when consumed in appropriate amounts. Consuming too much added sugar is linked to an increased risk of health issues like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.