Added sugars vs. total sugars | Better Health Shelf

Total sugars includes all sugars in one serving: sugars naturally present in foods such as milk and fruit, plus any sugars added during processing. Added sugars is the portion of total sugars that was added during processing or comes from sources FDA counts as added, including syrups, honey, and concentrated fruit or vegetable juices used as sweeteners.

Quick read: Yes, added sugars is included in total sugars; do not add the two label lines together. If a yogurt lists 15 grams of total sugars and “Includes 7g Added Sugars,” the serving has 15 grams total: 7 grams added and 8 grams not counted as added. Total sugars has no percent Daily Value. Added sugars has a Daily Value of 50 grams on a 2,000-calorie diet, so 7 grams is 14% Daily Value.

Read total sugars as the complete amount

The Total Sugars line gives the combined grams of sugar in one labeled serving. FDA says this includes sugars naturally present in foods and beverages as well as added sugars.

That means total sugars can be greater than zero when the added-sugars line is zero. Plain milk contains naturally occurring lactose. Unsweetened fruit contains naturally occurring sugars. Those sugars count in Total Sugars but are not automatically Added Sugars.

Total Sugars does not have a percent Daily Value. FDA says no Daily Value has been established because no recommendation has been made for the total amount of all sugars to eat in a day. This is different from saying total sugars do not matter; it means the label does not provide one universal daily percentage for that combined category.

Read added sugars as part of the total

The Added Sugars line appears indented under Total Sugars. FDA uses the word “Includes” to show that the added-sugar grams are already contained within the total-sugar grams.

Use this relationship:

Total sugars = naturally occurring sugars plus added sugars

For a label showing 15 grams Total Sugars and “Includes 7g Added Sugars”:

total sugars: 15 grams;
added sugars: 7 grams; and
sugars not counted as added: 15 − 7 = 8 grams.

Do not calculate 15 + 7. That would count the added portion twice.

The subtraction can help explain the label, but it does not identify which naturally occurring sugar molecules are present or prove the overall quality of the food. Read the rest of the Nutrition Facts panel and ingredient list too.

Know what FDA counts as added sugars

FDA says added sugars include:

sugars added during food processing, such as sucrose or dextrose;
foods packaged as sweeteners, such as table sugar;
sugars from syrups and honey; and
sugars from concentrated fruit or vegetable juices used in ways that count as sweeteners.

FDA says added sugars do not include naturally occurring sugars found in milk, fruits, and vegetables.

The category is based on how the sugars enter the food, not whether a sweetener sounds natural. Honey, maple syrup, and many concentrated juice sweeteners can count as added sugars. “Organic,” “raw,” “coconut,” or another descriptor does not remove a sweetener from the added-sugars calculation.

Use the Nutrition Facts amount rather than trying to calculate grams from the ingredient name alone. The ingredient list identifies what is present but usually does not disclose the gram amount of each ingredient.

Use percent Daily Value for added sugars

FDA sets the Daily Value for added sugars at 50 grams per day based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Percent Daily Value tells you how much one serving contributes to that reference amount.

The arithmetic is:

Added-sugar grams ÷ 50 grams × 100 = percent Daily Value

Examples:

5 grams added sugars = 10% Daily Value;
10 grams = 20% Daily Value; and
25 grams = 50% Daily Value.

Labels use required rounding rules, so your hand calculation may not always reproduce the printed percentage exactly. Use the label’s percent Daily Value when it is available.

FDA’s general guide says 5% Daily Value or less per serving is low and 20% or more is high. Those thresholds describe the contribution of one serving to the Daily Value; they do not rank the entire food or replace the rest of the label.

The percent Daily Value guide explains why a Daily Value is a label reference rather than a personalized target.

Multiply by the servings actually consumed

Sugar grams and percent Daily Value usually apply to one labeled serving. If you eat or drink two servings, double Total Sugars, Added Sugars, and the added-sugar percent Daily Value.

Example: one serving lists 12 grams Total Sugars and 8 grams Added Sugars at 16% Daily Value. Two servings provide:

24 grams Total Sugars;
16 grams Added Sugars; and
32% Daily Value for Added Sugars.

Check servings per container before treating a bottle, bag, or carton as one serving. Some packages use dual-column labels showing both per-serving and per-package values. Use the package column when it matches what you consume.

The serving-size guide covers per-serving, per-package, and container math in more detail.

Understand a zero-added-sugar label

A label can show Total Sugars above zero and 0 grams Added Sugars. That means the product contains sugar, but none of the declared sugar in that serving is counted as added under the labeling definition.

For example, an unsweetened dairy product may show naturally occurring milk sugar and zero added sugars. A fruit product can also contain naturally occurring sugar without an added-sugar amount.

Do not translate “0g Added Sugars” into “sugar-free.” Sugar-free is a separate nutrient-content claim with its own requirements. The Total Sugars line tells you whether the serving contains sugar overall.

Also avoid the reverse mistake: a food can have a modest Total Sugars number while most or all of it is added. Read both lines.

Read the ingredient list for the source

The Nutrition Facts panel tells you the grams. The ingredient list can help identify where added sugars come from.

Names can include sugar, cane sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, honey, maple syrup, molasses, and concentrated fruit or vegetable juice sweeteners. This is not a complete list, and the exact regulatory treatment can depend on the ingredient and how it is used.

Ingredients are generally listed in descending order by weight, but order does not reveal the exact grams contributed by each sweetener. Several sweeteners can appear separately. Do not assume one unfamiliar name means the product has no added sugar; use the Added Sugars line for the declared amount.

Non-sugar sweeteners can appear in the ingredient list without contributing grams to Added Sugars. Their presence is a separate product-detail question rather than evidence that the Nutrition Facts calculation is wrong.

Read honey, maple syrup, and table sugar carefully

Single-ingredient sugars and syrups have a special label presentation. FDA says products such as pure honey, pure maple syrup, and table sugar must show the percent Daily Value for added sugars, but they are not required to show an “Includes Xg Added Sugars” gram declaration in the usual way.

This avoids making it look as though another sugar was added to pure honey or maple syrup. The product itself still contributes added sugars to the diet. The label may use a footnote explaining the gram amount and percent Daily Value contributed by one serving.

Do not read the missing indented gram line as zero added sugars. Check the percent Daily Value and any footnote on the package.

Put similar servings on the same basis

When looking at two products side by side, start by matching serving size. One label may use ¾ cup while another uses one cup. A lower-looking sugar number can reflect a smaller serving rather than a different formula.

You can convert both to the same amount when the units allow a clear calculation. Keep Total Sugars and Added Sugars as separate columns:

Label question	Product A	Product B
Serving size	1 cup	1 cup
Total Sugars	12 g	15 g
Includes Added Sugars	0 g	7 g
Added Sugars %DV	0%	14%

This table does not declare a winner. Product A and Product B could differ in protein, fiber, sodium, calories, allergens, ingredients, price, or the role each food plays for the reader. Sugar is one part of the label.

Avoid common label-reading mistakes

Keep these distinctions clear:

Do not add Total Sugars and Added Sugars. Added is already included in total.
Do not subtract when you only need total intake. The Total Sugars line already gives the complete gram amount.
Do not expect a percent Daily Value for Total Sugars. FDA has not established one.
Do not ignore serving size. Two servings double both sugar lines and the printed added-sugar percentage.
Do not treat 0g Added Sugars as sugar-free. Check Total Sugars.
Do not treat honey or syrup as naturally occurring sugar in a mixed product. FDA includes sugars from honey and syrups in Added Sugars.
Do not judge the whole food from one line. Read calories, fiber, protein, sodium, other nutrients, and ingredients in context.

This guide explains U.S. Nutrition Facts labels. It does not set a personal eating plan, diagnose a condition, or replace advice from a qualified health professional. Individual needs can differ, especially when someone is managing diabetes or another health condition.

Added sugars FAQ

Does total sugar include added sugar?

Yes. FDA says Total Sugars includes naturally occurring sugars plus any Added Sugars in the serving. The word “Includes” on the added-sugars line shows that the added amount is already part of the total.

Do I add total sugars and added sugars together?

No. That would count the added portion twice. If a label lists 15 grams Total Sugars and 7 grams Added Sugars, the serving has 15 grams total, including 7 added grams.

Why is there no percent Daily Value for total sugars?

FDA has not established a Daily Value for Total Sugars because no recommendation has been made for the total amount of all sugars to eat in a day. Added Sugars has a separate Daily Value of 50 grams on a 2,000-calorie diet.

Can a product have sugar but no added sugar?

Yes. Milk, fruit, and vegetables can contain naturally occurring sugars. A product can therefore list Total Sugars above zero while listing 0 grams Added Sugars.

Does honey count as added sugar?

Yes when it is used as a sweetener in another food. FDA includes sugars from honey and syrups in Added Sugars. Pure single-ingredient honey uses a special label format but still shows how a serving contributes to the Added Sugars Daily Value.