Sugars & Natural Sweeteners

Sugar (sucrose) and its various forms are among the most common ingredients in processed foods, appearing under numerous names on ingredient labels. Derived primarily from sugarcane and sugar beets, sugar is used in forms including granulated sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, invert sugar, raw sugar, and turbinado sugar. The presence of multiple sugar types in a single product ingredient list is a characteristic feature of many ultra-processed food formulations, where different sugars serve distinct functional roles beyond simple sweetness.

Sugar appears in baked goods, beverages, cereals, condiments, sauces, candy, ice cream, yogurt, canned fruits, salad dressings, bread, granola bars, flavored milk, protein bars, and the majority of sweetened processed food products.

Level (high → low)Level (low → high)Name (A–Z)Name (Z–A)

AllL1L2L3L4

Santa Barbara, Mango Salsa with Peach, Medium

8.12.0/10

Shoprite, Scrunchy, Toasted Oats Sweetened Oat Cereal, Apple Cinnamon

8.15.5/10

Apple Cinnamon Sweetened Toasted Oat Cereal

8.10.0/10

The Original Caesar Dressing

8.10.5/10

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Chocolate Hazelnut

8.10.0/10

Glutino, Gluten Free Crackers, Cheddar

8.13.5/10

Sriracha Mayo

8.10.0/10

Family Recipe Italian Dressing

8.12.0/10

Margarita & Lime White Corn Tortilla Chips

8.10.0/10

Italian Reduced Fat Dressing

8.12.0/10

Oat Bars

8.14.5/10

Granola Bark

8.13.5/10

Organic Ice Cream Bars

8.10.5/10

Deli Fresh Chipotle Seasoned Chicken Breast

8.16.0/10

Campbell's Sauces Pineapple Teriyaki

8.10.5/10

Bisquick Gluten Free Pancake & Waffle Mix

5.30.0/10

Gin Gins, Ginger Caramel Candy

5.32.5/10

Stonehedge Farms, Old Fashioned Caramel Popcorn

5.30.0/10

Del Monte, Sliced Peaches

5.33.0/10

Freestone Slices

5.33.0/10

Original Recipe Tapioca Pudding

5.34.5/10

Duncan Hines, Pie Filling & Topping, Apple

5.32.5/10

Del Monte, Sliced Bartlett Pears in Heavy Syrup

5.34.0/10

Del Monte, Sliced Peaches Yellow Cling Peaches in Heavy Syrup

5.33.0/10

Del Monte, Peach Chunks, Yellow Cling Peaches in Heavy Syrup

5.33.0/10

Del Monte, Halves Pear

5.34.0/10

Chipotle Pepper Marinade

5.30.5/10

Pizza Quick Snack Sauce

5.30.0/10

Thai Kitchen, Dipping & All-Purpose Sauce, Sweet Red Chili

5.30.5/10

Cream Soup Powder

5.30.5/10

Peter Pan Natural Creamy Peanut Butter, 16.3 Oz

3.00.0/10

Peter Pan Natural Crunchy Peanut Butter, 16.3 Oz

3.00.0/10

Peter Pan Natural Creamy Peanut Butter, 28 Oz

3.00.0/10

Superior Iodized Salt

3.03.0/10

Grace, Hot Pepper Sauce, Sweet N' Spicy, Mild

3.02.5/10

Vermont Creamery, French - Style Cultured Cream, Vanilla

3.02.5/10

Alegrias De Amaranto, Natural Amaranth Seed Candy

3.00.0/10

Niman Ranch, Uncured Bacon, Applewood Smoked, Center Cut

3.03.5/10

Applegate Organics, Organics Uncured Turkey Bacon, Hickory Smoked

3.00.0/10

Dr.oetker, Whip It, Stabilizer for Whipping Cream

2.82.5/10

Blend of Corn Syrup & Pure Honey

2.82.5/10

Peanut Butter Bones

2.83.5/10

Peach Preserve

2.82.5/10

Original Food & Beverage Thickener, Original

2.84.5/10

Crunchy Peanut Butter Bars, Crunchy Peanut Butter

Gurleys

2.83.5/10

Organic Molasses

1.00.0/10

Pure Blossom Honey

1.02.5/10

C & H, Pure Cane Sugar Cubes

1.02.5/10

C&h, Golden Brown Cane Sugar

1.02.5/10

Wholesome!, Organic Molasses - Unsulphured

1.00.0/10

Pacific Northwest Raw Honey

1.00.0/10

Premium Organic Sweetener

1.02.5/10

Premium Pure Cane Granulated

1.02.5/10

Nut 'N Berry the American Trail Mix, Nut 'N Berry

1.06.5/10

Organic Raw Nectar

1.02.5/10

Premium Pure Cane Sugar, Light Brown

1.02.5/10

Organic Blue Agave

1.02.0/10

Organic Raw Blue Agave

1.02.0/10

Blue Agave Nectar

1.02.5/10

Organic Agave Amber

1.02.5/10

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Sugars & Natural Sweeteners can appear in ingredient lists under several names. If you see any of the following, this is the ingredient family you are looking at:

Sugar provides sweetness, but its functional roles in food manufacturing extend far beyond taste. It acts as a preservative by reducing water activity, contributes to browning reactions (Maillard and caramelization) that develop flavor and color, provides bulk and texture in baked goods, serves as a fermentation substrate for yeast in bread making, controls crystallization in confections, and depresses the freezing point in frozen desserts. Different sugar forms have specific functional properties: invert sugar resists crystallization, while powdered sugar dissolves quickly for smooth coatings.

Sugar is extracted from sugarcane or sugar beets through a multi-step industrial process involving crushing, juice extraction, clarification, evaporation, crystallization, and centrifugation. Refined white sugar undergoes additional processing to remove molasses and impurities. Brown sugar is either partially refined or created by adding molasses back to refined white sugar. Raw and turbinado sugars are less refined, retaining some molasses content. Invert sugar is produced by hydrolyzing sucrose with acid or enzymes into glucose and fructose.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that added sugars comprise less than 10% of total daily calories. The FDA requires that added sugars be declared separately on the Nutrition Facts label, distinct from naturally occurring sugars. The WHO has issued similar guidance on added sugar intake. Products containing added sugars must quantify them on the label in both grams and as a percentage of Daily Value.

This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

Sugar is classified as GRAS by the FDA. Added sugars must be listed separately on the Nutrition Facts label as of 2020, with a Daily Value of 50 grams. Standards of identity define specific sugar products (e.g., brown sugar, powdered sugar). The FDA regulates sugar-related claims such as "sugar-free" (less than 0.5g per serving) and "no added sugars." The EU requires similar labeling of total sugars on nutrition declarations.