Added Sugars vs Total Sugars: What's the Difference?
Total Sugars counts every sugar in the food; Added Sugars counts only what was added during processing. Since FDA's 2016 Nutrition Facts overhaul, "Added Sugars" appears as a separate, indented line beneath "Total Sugars," specifically so a shopper can tell whether a food's sugar content is mostly natural (milk, whole fruit) or mostly added (a sweetened beverage or snack).
The one thing to know: Since the FDA's 2016 Nutrition Facts label overhaul, "Total Sugars" includes every sugar in the food (naturally occurring, like lactose in milk or fructose in fruit, plus any added sugar), while "Added Sugars" is a separate indented line beneath it counting only sugars added during processing — table sugar, syrups, honey, and concentrated fruit juice added as a sweetener. A food can have a high Total Sugars number that's almost entirely natural (plain milk, whole fruit) or a high number that's almost entirely added (soda) — the two lines exist because that distinction isn't visible from Total Sugars alone.
What counts as "added"
Under 21 CFR 101.9(c)(6)(iii), Added Sugars include sugars added during processing (sucrose, dextrose), foods packaged as sweeteners (table sugar), sugars from syrups, honey or molasses used as a sweetener, and sugars from concentrated fruit or vegetable juice used as a sweetener. It does not include the sugar naturally present in an ingredient before it was combined into the product — that portion is captured only in Total Sugars.
Why the same food can show two very different pictures
A cup of plain milk shows meaningful Total Sugars (from naturally occurring lactose) with an Added Sugars line of 0g. A sweetened flavored yogurt might show a similar or higher Total Sugars number, but with most of it showing up on the Added Sugars line, because it comes from sweeteners mixed in during processing. Reading only Total Sugars would make these two products look more similar than they actually are.
The %DV difference
FDA set a Daily Reference Value for Added Sugars — no more than 10% of total calories, or 50 grams on a 2,000-calorie reference diet — so the Added Sugars line on a label carries a %DV figure. There is no equivalent %DV for Total Sugars, because no single recommended total-sugar intake has been established; the Total Sugars number is informational only, without a percentage.
This page is a label-and-regulation reference, not a dietary recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Total Sugars counts every sugar in the food — naturally occurring sugars (like lactose in milk or fructose in whole fruit) plus any added sugar. Added Sugars is a separate, indented line beneath it that counts only sugars added during processing, like table sugar, syrups, honey used as a sweetener, or concentrated fruit juice added as a sweetener.
FDA's 2016 Nutrition Facts label overhaul required the Added Sugars line as an indented sub-line under Total Sugars, along with renaming the old 'Sugars' line to 'Total Sugars.' It's been mandatory on labels since that rule took effect.
Yes — plain milk (lactose) and whole fruit (fructose) can show a meaningful Total Sugars number that is entirely or almost entirely natural, with an Added Sugars line of zero or close to it. That distinction is exactly why the two separate lines exist.
Yes. FDA set the Daily Reference Value for added sugars at no more than 10% of total calories — 50 grams per day on a 2,000-calorie reference diet. There is no equivalent Daily Reference Value for total sugars, since no single recommended daily total-sugar amount has been established.
FDA guidance addresses this specifically for pure honey, maple syrup, and certain cranberry products sold as single-ingredient items — they may show total sugars without an added-sugars declaration in some contexts, since the sugar isn't 'added' to another food. Once honey or syrup is used as an added sweetener in a multi-ingredient product, it counts toward that product's Added Sugars line.