Pop Ingredients: Sugar

Sugar is a common term for sucrose, a type of carbohydrate. It is naturally found in many plants, fruits, and vegetables. Most sugar used in food is extracted and refined from sugarcane or sugar beets.

Manufacturers add sugar primarily as a sweetener to improve taste. It also contributes to the texture, bulk, and browning of foods, and acts as a preservative in certain products. It is widely used in candies, baked goods, beverages, and many processed foods.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers sugar (sucrose) to be Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS). The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) has evaluated sugar and determined that an acceptable daily intake (ADI) is 'not specified,' meaning it can be consumed without numerical limits based on its use in food. The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend no specific amount of added sugars and advise consuming at most 10 grams of added sugars per meal. The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that free sugars should account for less than 10% of total energy intake. Excessive intake of added sugars is associated with health concerns such as weight gain and dental cavities.