Sep 23 2008

What does it mean when a food product says it has no sugar, but sugar is listed on the nutrition label?

Published by Karina at 1:38 am under Nutrition

nutrition
Meisha H asked:


Usually when I find food that claims that it is “sugar free,” I look on the nutrition label and find that it does have sugar in it. However, sugar (fructose, dextrose, glucose, corn syrup…etc) isnt listed in the ingredients. Does thIs mean the sugar on the nutrition label is reffering to natural sugar or added (processed) sugar?

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4 Responses to “What does it mean when a food product says it has no sugar, but sugar is listed on the nutrition label?”

  1. # meg don 23 Sep 2008 at 6:06 pm

    i believe it has to do with natural sugars, sugar alcohols, and carbs

  2. # Gemimaon 24 Sep 2008 at 9:35 pm

    Yeah it means no ‘added’ sugar

  3. # Bert Con 25 Sep 2008 at 12:17 pm

    It means that the sugar content is less than .5 percent, regardless of the source. Any ingredient that is .5 percent or less can be counted as “zero”, thus making it “sugar free”. “No added sugar” means just that and it can contain a good deal of “natural” sugar. Examples are “no added sugar” jams and jellies. The only sugar (which is quite a bit in some cases) comes from the fruit, not from other ingredients such as sugar, syrups, etc.

    Bert

  4. # Sandy Con 26 Sep 2008 at 9:19 am

    the sugar level isn’t sufficient enough for the company to call it “sugar” on the packaging label. They do it for marketing purposes so you’ll buy the product and think its healthy.