More and more packaging for cookies, yogurts, cereals and drinks displays the promise “no added sugar” in large letters. At first glance, it sounds like the healthiest choice. But, as warned by senior nutrition and dietetics technician Ana Luzón, in statements cited by the website HuffPost, the message deserves to be read calmly. This commercial declaration does not mean that the food is sugar-free, it only indicates that no extra sugar was added during the manufacturing process. And the difference, he emphasizes, is anything but irrelevant.
Simply put, many consumers end up interpreting “no added sugar” as a synonym for “low in sugar”, which does not always correspond to reality. A product can comply with the law by using this claim and still have a total amount of sugars comparable to versions that clearly claim to have added sugar. The problem is less in the highlighted phrase and more in the way it is understood by those who make purchases, notes HuffPost when summarizing this expert’s explanations.
What “no added sugar” really means
From a legal point of view, a food may bear the phrase “no added sugar” if, in its preparation, white or yellow sugar, honey, syrups, whole cane sugar or other ingredients whose main function is to sweeten were not included.
This means that the label only talks about the sugars that were not added, not the ones that were already there. Fruits, milk and other ingredients bring with them naturally present sugars. Furthermore, it is possible to use juices, purees or fruit concentrates, which behave like free sugars, as well as sweeteners which, despite not being included in the sugar count, preserve the sweet flavor and keep the palate accustomed to this stimulus.
Natural, free sugars and sweeteners: the gray area on labels
In practice, a “no added sugar” product may contain significant amounts of sugars from fruit, milk or such concentrates and purees. “The food may contain sugars naturally; it may also incorporate juices, purees or fruit concentrates that act as free sugar; and it may use sweeteners, which do not count as sugar, but maintain the sweet flavor”, details the dietetics technique.
This is where the confusion arises. The consumer looks at the claim and assumes that it is a clearly lighter option or suitable for those who want to control their sugar. However, if you don’t consult the list of ingredients and nutritional declaration, you could be buying a product with a sugar load very similar to that of alternatives that never claim to be “sugar-free”. The label complies with legislation, but the public’s interpretation does not always coincide with what is inside the packaging.
Cookies, yogurts and “fit” bars: everyday examples
Among the examples highlighted by Ana Luzón are cookies “without added sugar” that combine refined flours with fruit concentrates. The result is a product with a quantity of sugar that, in many cases, differs little from other cookies that explicitly include sugar in the recipe.
The same happens with some yogurts with crushed fruit. In the absence of white sugar, fruit preparations, purees or jams come into play which increase the total sugar content. “There are also yogurts with crushed fruit that increase the total sugar content, although they do not contain white sugar”, he explains. Another common case is breakfast cereals or bars that use dates, apple concentrate or other sweet ingredients with “natural” status, but which play exactly the role of sugar in the final perception of sweetness.
How to read labels without falling into the marketing illusion
Just looking at the highlighted phrase on the front of the packaging is the most common mistake. To avoid misunderstandings, the nutrition technique suggests a simple step: starting with the list of ingredients. “A simple rule is to review the list of ingredients and not just the commercial appeal. If ‘fruit concentrate’, ‘puree’, ‘dates’, ‘rice syrup’, ‘agave syrup’ or similar appear, it means that there are free sugars, even if they are not ‘added’ in the legal sense”, he explains.
Next, it is worth confirming the “carbohydrates, including sugars” line in the nutritional declaration, per portion and per 100 grams or milliliters. This value best reflects reality, regardless of whether the origin is table sugar, fruit, milk or concentrates. A product with a “no added sugar” claim may well have a high sugar content when compared to other alternatives in the same category.
In the end, Ana Luzón’s message is not one of absolute prohibition. The specialist recalls, in the statements highlighted by , that this indication “can be useful, but only if it is well interpreted”. And he concludes: “It’s not about demonizing sweets, but about understanding what we are buying. The important thing is not to avoid sugar at all costs, but to maintain a balanced, realistic and sustainable global standard.”
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