Guide
Added sugars on the US Nutrition Facts panel
The current US Nutrition Facts panel requires an Added Sugars line, in grams and as % Daily Value. Honey, maple syrup, white sugar and syrups in granola count. Lactose in milk is not added sugar. A “no refined sugar” front claim does not remove the line.
Reviewed against official guidance.SourcesNot legal advice.
The short answer
The current US Nutrition Facts panel requires an Added Sugars line, in grams and as % Daily Value. Honey, maple syrup, white sugar and syrups in granola count. Lactose in milk is not added sugar. A “no refined sugar” front claim does not remove the line.
Where this shows up in a real kitchen
Wellness brands lead with dates and honey as if added sugars had left the building. FDA counts those as added sugars when you add them. Fruit that is in the food as fruit is a different line. Cottage-food packs that skip Nutrition Facts entirely do not get a special honey exemption once they print a panel.
The US rule
21 CFR 101.9 includes added sugars. FDA’s nutrition labeling materials explain what is added versus naturally occurring. Dual-column packs still show added sugars. Claims like “sugar-free” have their own nutrient-content rules and must not fight the panel.
How to apply it
Sum every sugar you add, including honey, maple, agave, corn syrup and sweetened inclusions. Do not count the lactose in unsweetened milk as added. Recalculate when you swap maple for sugar. If you make a “low added sugar” claim, read the claim criteria before the designer writes it.
- List every sweetener you add, including syrups in inclusions.
- Exclude intact fruit sugars and milk lactose from the added line.
- Fill both Total Sugars and Added Sugars.
- Kill front claims that contradict those grams.
Worked example
Granola with oats, oil, pecans, maple syrup, raisins: maple is added sugar; sugars in raisins are not added. Nutrition Facts show both Total Sugars and Added Sugars. A front burst “only maple, never sugar” is still an added-sugars food.
Checks that belong on this pack
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Honey is in added sugars | Natural is not a regulatory category here. |
| Raisins are not dumped into added sugars | Intact fruit is treated differently. |
| %DV for added sugars is present | Grams alone are not the full current format. |
| Cottage exemption is not mixed with a “high protein, low sugar” badge that forces a panel | Claims have consequences. |
Zeroing added sugars because you used coconut sugar
Coconut sugar, maple and dates you add are still added sugars. The plant they came from does not wipe the line.
What LabelClear can and cannot print
LabelClear does not calculate Nutrition Facts. If you print a panel, added sugars has to be a real number from the formula, not a brand story.
Questions
Is fruit juice concentrate added sugar?
What about lactose in yogurt?
Do I need added sugars on a restaurant menu?
Official sources
Everything on this page traces back to these. Where they and we disagree, they are right — tell us and we'll fix it.
- Nutrition labeling requirementsU.S. Food and Drug Administration
- 21 CFR Part 101 — Food labelingeCFR / National Archives
- Food Labeling GuideU.S. Food and Drug Administration
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