Hidden sugarnames, listed
Sugar hides under dozens of label names. Here is the whole list, grouped so you can spot it in seconds.
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Every hidden sugar name, grouped
Sugar rarely appears as the single word “sugar”. Scan for these families; any one of them is an added sweetener doing the job of sugar. Then turn the grams on the label into teaspoons with the sugar grams to teaspoons calculator.
Syrups
Liquid sweeteners, often made from corn, rice, malt or fruit.
Words ending in “-ose”
Chemical names for individual sugars. If a word ends in -ose, it is almost always a sugar.
Sugars named after their source
The plant or process is in the name, but it is still sugar.
Honey, molasses and concentrates
Sweeteners that sound closer to whole foods. They still count as added sugars when they are put into a product.
Starch-derived sweeteners
Made by breaking starch down. They add sweetness, body or browning.
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Sweeteners that are not sugars
These also make food taste sweet but are listed under other names. Spotting them is part of reading the whole label.
Sugar alcohols
Used for bulk and sweetness, often in “sugar-free” products.
Intense sweeteners
Far sweeter than sugar by weight, so used in tiny amounts.
Four habits that make the list work
The names matter less than how you read them.
- Remember the order. Ingredients are listed from the largest amount to the smallest by weight.
- Count the sugar names. A product can use three or four different sugars. Each sits lower in the list than one big pile of sugar would, so the total is easy to miss.
- Read the nutrition panel too. “Sugars” includes sugar that comes naturally from milk and fruit. Where a panel lists “added sugars” separately, that line is the quickest check.
- Treat “no added sugar” as a clue, not a verdict. It means none was added. The food can still contain natural sugars, or sweeteners from the previous groups.
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See it on a real-looking label
An example ingredient list, written for illustration. Highlighted words are all sugars.
Cereal bar, version A
Oats, glucose syrup, sugar, palm oil, dextrose, fruit juice concentrate, salt, flavouring
Four sugar names in one short list.Cereal bar, version B
Oats, dates, almonds, sunflower oil, salt
Sweetness comes from dates, a whole fruit.Paste any list into the label checker to see which words it flags.
Spot hidden sugars at the shelf: the free label checklist
One page for the fridge door or your phone: NOVA groups in plain words, eight giveaway ingredient groups to tick, and simple swap lines.
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Frequently asked questions
Is honey counted as a sugar on a label?
Yes. When honey is added to a product it is an added sugar, in the same way as syrups and fruit juice concentrates. On US labels, added sugars include sugars, syrups, honey and concentrated fruit or vegetable juices.
Does “no added sugar” mean the food has no sugar?
No. It means no sugar was added during making. The food can still contain sugar that occurs naturally, for example in fruit or milk.
Are sugar alcohols and intense sweeteners the same as sugar?
No. They are different substances with different names, such as xylitol or sucralose. They are listed here because they also sweeten food and appear on the same labels.
Why is sugar listed under so many names?
Manufacturers use different sugars for texture, browning, shelf life and cost. Because ingredients are listed by weight, using several sugars can also move each one lower in the list.