Nutrition basics
Free sugar vs added sugar: what is the difference?
A clear comparison of free and added sugars, with label examples and common food sources to check.
Added sugars are put into a food or drink during manufacturing, cooking, or serving. Free sugars include added sugars plus sugars in honey, syrups, fruit juice, and fruit-juice concentrates. In short: every added sugar is a free sugar, but not every free sugar is added directly to a packaged food.
Start with the difference
The terms are used for different jobs. “Added sugar” helps explain whether sugar was added during preparation. “Free sugar” is the broader public-health term used in guidance, because it also includes sugars from honey, syrups, and juices.
Naturally occurring sugars in intact fruit and plain milk are not normally counted as free sugars. The ingredient list, the food type, and the nutrition panel together give a more useful answer than one number alone.
Use a label example
A fruit yoghurt can contain naturally occurring milk sugar as well as sugar from fruit preparation or sweetener. Compare it with plain yoghurt: the ingredients can reveal whether sugar, syrup, or concentrate was added.
On a European-style label, “of which sugars” tells you how much sugar sits within total carbohydrate. It does not, by itself, separate added sugar from naturally occurring sugar.
Common sources worth comparing
Sweet drinks, breakfast cereals, flavoured yoghurts, sauces, desserts, fruit juice, honey, and syrups are common sources to review. Focus on foods and drinks you have repeatedly, rather than trying to judge every item at once.
Practical next steps
- 1Compare a plain and flavoured version of one food you buy often, such as yoghurt or cereal.
- 2Check whether sugar, syrup, honey, or juice concentrate appears in the ingredient list.
- 3Use a food-photo record to notice which sweet drinks or packaged foods recur in your week.
Frequently asked questions
Are sugars in whole fruit free sugars?
No. Sugars in intact fruit are not normally counted as free sugars. Fruit juice and fruit-juice concentrate are different because their sugars are included in the free-sugar definition.
Can “of which sugars” tell me how much sugar was added?
No. It tells you the sugars within total carbohydrate and can include naturally occurring sugars. Use the ingredient list to understand whether sugar or a sweetening ingredient was added.