Key takeaways
- Total sugars counts all sugars in a food; added sugars counts only those added during processing or preparation.
- Sugars occurring naturally in fruit, vegetables and dairy are in the total but not in the added line.
- Honey, syrups and concentrated fruit juices used as sweeteners are counted as added sugars even though they are not refined table sugar.
- The added-sugars line carries a Daily Value, which is a policy judgement about intake rather than a chemical statement about the molecule.
- For low-carb tracking the distinction is largely irrelevant, because total carbohydrate is the number that matters there.
Total sugars counts every sugar in a food. Added sugars counts only the ones put there. The Nutrition Facts label separates them, and the reason is a judgement about diet rather than a fact about chemistry.
What each line means
Total Sugars includes all sugars present, whatever their origin — the fructose in fruit, the lactose in milk, and any sugar added during manufacture.
Includes X g Added Sugars is a subset. The FDA's page on added sugars defines it as sugars added during processing or packaging, plus sugars from syrups and honey and from concentrated fruit or vegetable juices beyond what would be expected from the same amount of the whole food.
Some worked cases:
| Food | Total sugars | Added sugars |
|---|---|---|
| A plain apple | Yes — the fruit's own | None |
| Plain milk | Yes — lactose | None |
| Fruit yoghurt with sugar added | Yes | Yes — the sugar added |
| A food sweetened with honey | Yes | Yes — the honey |
| Juice concentrate used as a sweetener | Yes | Yes |
The honey line is the one that surprises people. The definition is about the role the sugar plays, not about whether it is refined. Honey added to a product is a sweetener, so it is counted.
Why the distinction exists
It comes from dietary guidance rather than from chemistry. The molecules are largely the same; what differs is what they arrive with.
Sugars naturally present in whole foods come packaged with fibre, water, vitamins and minerals. Added sugars arrive with, essentially, energy. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans address limiting added sugars specifically, and the label was designed to make that possible to act on.
That is also why the added-sugars line carries a Daily Value and the total-sugars line does not. A Daily Value is a policy judgement about how much of something a diet should contain, and one exists for added sugars because guidance addresses them.
Where the distinction stops being useful
Two situations where it does not tell you much.
Low-carb tracking. If you are counting carbohydrate, the relevant number is total carbohydrate, and all sugars — added or not — are already inside it. Whether a gram of sugar was added or naturally present does not change the carbohydrate arithmetic. Net carbs explained covers what does matter there.
Comparing whole foods. Two fruits differ in total sugars and both have zero added sugars, so the added line does not distinguish them.
Where it is genuinely useful
Spotting sweetened versions of ordinary foods. Plain yoghurt and fruit yoghurt, plain oats and flavoured oats, tomato sauces at different price points — the added-sugars line separates them immediately, and the ingredient list confirms it.
Comparing products in the same category. Two granolas or two cereals can differ substantially in added sugars while looking similar elsewhere.
Following guidance that references added sugars. If your target is expressed in terms of added sugars, this is the line that measures it.
The relationship to other label lines
Sugars sit inside Total Carbohydrate, alongside dietary fibre and — where present — sugar alcohols. Those relationships matter more than the sugars line for anyone tracking carbohydrate:
- Dietary fibre is carbohydrate that is largely not digested in the small intestine.
- Sugar alcohols are carbohydrates used as sweeteners and appear inside total carbohydrate, sometimes with their own line. Sugar alcohols explained covers them, including why "sugar free" does not mean carbohydrate free.
- Total sugars and added sugars are the two lines this article is about.
How to read nutrition labels covers the whole panel and how the lines relate.
What the label does not tell you
It does not tell you how a food will affect your blood glucose. That is a separate question, and the usual proxies for it have their own substantial limitations — glycemic index and glycemic load explained covers why.
It also does not tell you which specific sugars are present. That is in the ingredient list.
Where our apps fit
Keto Diet Tracker: Low Carb works from total carbohydrate, subtracting fibre and sweeteners including erythritol, allulose and monk fruit to produce net carbs as you log. For that purpose the added-sugars distinction does not enter the calculation, which is the correct treatment.
Protein Diet Tracker totals protein, calories, carbohydrate and fat without breaking sugars out separately.
Both include barcode scanning or fast manual entry, and both are free to download on Google Play, supported by ads, with entries stored on your device rather than on our servers.
This article is general information, not medical or dietary advice, and it has not been reviewed by a doctor or registered dietitian. The FDA's label pages are the authoritative reference for what a label declares. The rest of our nutrition tools are under health and nutrition.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between total sugars and added sugars?
Does sugar in fruit count as added sugar?
Does honey count as added sugar?
Why is there a Daily Value for added sugars but not total sugars?
Does this matter for low-carb tracking?
Sources
- Added Sugars on the Nutrition Facts Label (opens in a new tab)U.S. Food and Drug Administration — accessed
- How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label (opens in a new tab)U.S. Food and Drug Administration — accessed
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans (opens in a new tab)U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services — accessed
