If you have ever looked at a Nutrition Facts label and wondered why it lists both Total Sugars and Includes Added Sugars, you are not alone. The two numbers are related, but they do not mean the same thing.
Total Sugars includes all sugars in a food or drink: sugars that occur naturally in ingredients such as milk and fruit, plus sugars added during processing. Added Sugars is the portion that was added during processing or comes from ingredients the FDA counts as added sugar, such as table sugar, honey, syrups, and certain concentrated fruit or vegetable juices.
The easiest rule to remember is this: added sugars are already included inside total sugars. You do not add the two numbers together.
Total Sugars vs. Added Sugars: the quick answer
| Label term | What it includes | Daily Value? |
|---|---|---|
| Total Sugars | Naturally occurring sugars plus added sugars | No |
| Added Sugars | Sugars added during processing and other sugars the FDA defines as added sugars | Yes — FDA Daily Value is 50 g on a 2,000-calorie diet |
For example, imagine a yogurt label says:
- Total Sugars: 15 g
- Includes 9 g Added Sugars: 18% Daily Value
That means the food contains 15 g of sugar in total. Of those 15 grams, 9 grams are added sugars. The remaining 6 grams come from sugars already present in the ingredients, such as lactose in milk. It does not mean the yogurt contains 24 grams of sugar.
What counts as total sugar?
The FDA defines Total Sugars as the naturally occurring sugars in a food or beverage plus any added sugars that are present. Naturally occurring sugars include lactose in plain milk and sugars naturally present in fruits and vegetables.
This is why plain milk can show several grams of Total Sugars while showing 0 g Added Sugars. A piece of packaged fruit can also contain naturally occurring sugar without having added sugar, depending on how it is prepared and packaged.
There is no established Daily Value for Total Sugars on the Nutrition Facts label. The FDA explains that no recommendation has been made for a total amount of sugar to eat each day that would combine both naturally occurring and added sugars into one limit.
That distinction matters. Looking only at the Total Sugars line can make a naturally sweet food and a heavily sweetened product appear more similar than they really are. To understand where the sugar comes from, read the Added Sugars line as well as the ingredient list.
What counts as added sugar?
Added sugars include sugars added while foods are processed or prepared. Examples include sucrose, dextrose, table sugar, honey, molasses, and many syrups. The FDA also includes sugars from certain concentrated fruit or vegetable juices when they are used in ways that increase sweetness.
The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030, advises shoppers to watch for ingredient names such as sugar, syrup, glucose, dextrose, sucrose, corn syrup, honey, and molasses. The ingredient list does not reveal the grams, however, so use the Nutrition Facts label for quantity.
Why does the label show Added Sugars separately?
The separate Added Sugars line helps shoppers distinguish naturally occurring sugar from sugar added during manufacturing or preparation. It is especially useful when comparing similar packaged foods.
The FDA currently uses a Daily Value of 50 grams for Added Sugars, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. On the label, this becomes a percentage. A product with 10 grams of added sugar per serving would provide 20% of that FDA Daily Value.
The FDA's general label-reading rule can help put the percentage in context: 5% Daily Value or less per serving is considered low, while 20% or more is considered high. For added sugars, lower is generally the direction to look for when comparing otherwise similar foods.
If you want a refresher on how percentages on food labels work, see our guide to what % Daily Value means on a Nutrition Facts label.
Added Sugar Label Checker
Use this simple tool to estimate how many grams of added sugar you would consume based on the number of servings you actually eat, and what percentage of the FDA's 50-gram Daily Value that represents.
Basis: FDA Daily Value for Added Sugars = 50 g on a 2,000-calorie diet. This is a label reference value, not a personalized intake prescription.
The calculation is straightforward: added sugar per serving × servings eaten = added sugar consumed. That number is divided by 50 grams and multiplied by 100 to estimate % Daily Value. Brand formulations and serving sizes vary, so use the numbers from the package you are actually eating.
FDA Daily Value vs. the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines
This is where label reading can become confusing because two federal references serve different purposes.
The FDA Nutrition Facts label still uses 50 grams as the Daily Value for Added Sugars on a 2,000-calorie diet. That number is used to calculate the % Daily Value printed on packaged foods.
The newer Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030, released in January 2026, uses different wording. It says that no amount of added sugars is recommended or considered part of a healthy or nutritious diet and advises that one meal contain no more than 10 grams of added sugars. It also recommends avoiding sugar-sweetened beverages and limiting highly processed foods high in added sugars.
These statements do not change what you see in the FDA %DV column. Think of the 50-gram figure as the current labeling reference, while the Dietary Guidelines provide broader eating-pattern advice. They should not be treated as two identical targets.
How to compare two products correctly
Suppose you are choosing between two flavored yogurts. Product A has 13 g Total Sugars and 5 g Added Sugars. Product B has 11 g Total Sugars and 9 g Added Sugars.
If you looked only at Total Sugars, Product B might appear lower in sugar. But the Added Sugars line tells you that Product A contains less sugar added during processing. Depending on your priorities, that could change your choice.
Before deciding, check three things:
- Compare the serving sizes. A smaller serving can make the sugar number look lower even when the products are similar ounce for ounce.
- Check Added Sugars in grams and %DV. This shows how much of the sweetness comes from added sources and how the amount relates to the FDA label reference.
- Look at the whole food. Protein, fiber, sodium, saturated fat, calories, and the ingredient list may also matter. Sugar is only one part of the label.
This whole-label approach is especially useful with yogurt. Our Greek yogurt vs. regular yogurt comparison explains why protein, calcium, sweetness, and serving size should be considered together rather than using one number alone.
Does 0 g Added Sugars mean sugar-free?
No. A food can show 0 g Added Sugars and still contain Total Sugars.
Plain milk is an easy example because lactose occurs naturally in milk. Plain fruit products may also contain naturally occurring sugars. In both cases, the Total Sugars line can be greater than zero even when no sugar has been added.
Likewise, “no added sugar” does not automatically mean low calorie, low carbohydrate, or sugar-free. Read those parts of the label separately.
What about honey, maple syrup, and “natural” sweeteners?
Honey, maple syrup, agave, and similar sweeteners are not automatically excluded because they sound more natural. When added to a food, they generally contribute to Added Sugars under FDA labeling rules. Check the Nutrition Facts label rather than relying on front-of-package wording.
Serving size can change the answer quickly
The numbers on a Nutrition Facts label usually apply to the stated serving size. If a bottle contains two servings and you drink the entire bottle, you may consume twice the listed grams of added sugar.
For example, a snack with 8 g Added Sugars per serving provides 16% of the FDA Daily Value per serving. Eating two servings means 16 g of added sugar, which is about 32% of the FDA Daily Value.
This is one reason the serving size line should be the first place you look before comparing sugar numbers. The Added Sugar Label Checker above is designed around this exact problem.
Where do Americans commonly get added sugars?
The FDA highlights sugar-sweetened beverages, baked goods, desserts, and sweets as common sources of added sugars. Current Dietary Guidelines also advise avoiding sugar-sweetened beverages. Still, judge the whole food: a food with some added sugar may also provide protein, fiber, vitamins, or minerals.
A practical 30-second label routine
You do not need to memorize dozens of sugar names to make a reasonable comparison. Use this short routine:
- Check serving size. Make sure it matches the amount you expect to eat or drink.
- Read Total Sugars. This tells you all sugars in one serving.
- Read “Includes Added Sugars.” Remember that this number is already part of Total Sugars.
- Use %DV for context. On FDA labels, 5% DV or less is low and 20% DV or more is high.
- Compare similar foods. Look for a lower-added-sugar option when the products otherwise meet your needs.
- Check the rest of the label. Consider nutrients such as fiber, protein, sodium, and saturated fat rather than judging a food by sugar alone.
Common mistakes when reading sugar labels
Mistake 1: Adding Total Sugars and Added Sugars together
Do not do this. Added Sugars is a subset of Total Sugars. If the label says 15 g Total Sugars and 9 g Added Sugars, the total is still 15 g.
Mistake 2: Assuming all total sugar was added
Foods containing milk, fruit, or vegetables can have naturally occurring sugars. Check the Added Sugars line before deciding where the sugar came from.
Mistake 3: Ignoring serving size
A low-looking number may apply to a much smaller serving than you normally eat. Multiply the listed added sugar by the number of servings you actually consume.
Mistake 4: Treating 50 g as a personal goal to reach
The FDA's 50-gram Daily Value is a reference used for labeling, not a recommendation to deliberately consume 50 grams every day. The current Dietary Guidelines take a more restrictive approach to added sugars and advise minimizing them within an overall nutrient-dense eating pattern.
Mistake 5: Focusing on sugar and nothing else
Added sugar is useful for comparison, but serving size, calories, fiber, protein, sodium, saturated fat, and ingredients also matter.
Frequently asked questions
Why is there no % Daily Value for Total Sugars?
The FDA says no Daily Value has been established for Total Sugars because there is no recommendation for the total amount of naturally occurring plus added sugars to consume in a day.
Are sugars in whole fruit counted as Added Sugars?
No. Sugars naturally present in fruits and vegetables are not considered added sugars. Processing can change the labeling situation when concentrated juices or sweeteners are used, so packaged products should be checked individually.
Is a product with less Added Sugars always healthier?
Not necessarily. Lower added sugar can be a useful comparison point, but overall nutrition still matters. Compare products with similar serving sizes and consider the full Nutrition Facts label and ingredient list.
Bottom line
Total Sugars tells you how much sugar is in the food altogether. Added Sugars tells you how much of that total comes from sugars added during processing or other sources counted as added sugars. Added Sugars is already included in Total Sugars, so never add the two lines together.
For packaged foods, start with serving size, check Added Sugars in grams, and use %DV to compare similar products. The FDA uses 50 g as the Daily Value on a 2,000-calorie diet, while the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines advise minimizing added sugars.
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