Added Sugars

Added sugars are sugars put into foods or drinks during processing, preparation or consumption, rather than sugars already present in the original food. They differ from naturally occurring sugars, such as those contained within whole fruits and vegetables or the lactose naturally present in plain milk.

What counts as added sugar

The distinction depends on how sugar enters a food, not simply on whether the sweetener is described as natural.

• Table sugar, glucose, dextrose and sweetening syrups count as added sugars when used to sweeten a food or drink.
• Honey and jaggery also contribute added sugars when used as sweeteners; their natural origin does not exempt them.
• Sugar added to tea, sweets, biscuits or sweetened beverages belongs to this category.
• A food can contain both kinds: sweetened milk contains naturally occurring lactose as well as sugar added during preparation.

How naturally occurring sugars differ

The nutritional distinction concerns the food matrix, meaning the structure and other components surrounding the sugar, rather than a simple division into good and bad sugar molecules.

• Whole fruits provide sugars together with water, fibre and micronutrients, while plain milk supplies lactose alongside nutrients such as protein and calcium.
• Total sugars include both naturally occurring and added sugars, so the terms are not interchangeable.
• Free sugars are a broader category than added sugars: they also include sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit-juice concentrates.
• Consequently, fruit juice can contain free sugars even when no sugar has been added; it should not be equated with whole fruit.

Why the distinction matters for health and labelling

High consumption of added sugars can increase energy intake and make it harder to maintain a nutrient-rich diet. Frequent exposure to sugary foods and drinks also promotes dental caries.

• India's Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 require total sugars and added sugars to be declared separately in nutritional information, subject to applicable exemptions.
• A no added sugar claim does not mean that a product is sugar-free, calorie-free or nutritionally equivalent to an unsweetened whole food.