How to Identify Hidden Sugars
Added sugars aren’t always obvious on food labels. In fact, many foods that don’t even taste sweet—such as pasta sauces, salad dressings, flavored yogurts, granola bars, cereals, and packaged snacks—can contain surprising amounts of added sugar.
If you're interested in being more mindful of your sugar intake, learning how to read a food label is one of the most useful skills you can develop. Once you know where to look, identifying hidden sugars becomes much easier.
Step 1: Check the “Added Sugars” on the Nutrition Facts Label
The Nutrition Facts panel is the first place to look when identifying added sugars in packaged foods.
You’ll see two key values:
Total Sugars = naturally occurring sugars + added sugars
Added Sugars = sugars added during processing or manufacturing
Example:
Plain Greek yogurt: 6g total sugar, 0g added sugar (naturally occurring lactose)
Flavored yogurt: 18g total sugar, 12g added sugar
The Added Sugars line is the most direct way to assess how much sugar has been added—but it does not show which specific type of sweetener was used.
Step 2: How to Read Ingredient Lists for Hidden Sugars
The ingredient list is where many hidden sugars in food labels appear.
Manufacturers often use multiple sweeteners with different names, which can make added sugar harder to recognize.
Common names for added sugars include:
Cane sugar
Beet sugar
Sucrose
Corn syrup
High-fructose corn syrup
Glucose
Dextrose
Maltose
Brown rice syrup
Tapioca syrup
Evaporated cane juice
Fruit juice concentrate
Maltodextrin
Quick rule:
If several sweeteners appear within the first 5–10 ingredients, the product is likely high in added sugars, even if sugar is not listed as the first ingredient.
Why Hidden Sugars Appear on Ingredient Labels
Ingredients are listed in order by weight.
To avoid listing “sugar” near the top, manufacturers may split sweeteners into multiple forms such as cane sugar, syrups, and fruit concentrates.
This technique spreads sugar across the ingredient list, making a product appear lower in sugar than it actually is.
This is why it’s important to read the entire ingredient list, not just scan for the word “sugar.”
Do All Sweeteners Have the Same Impact?
Not exactly.
Different sweeteners can have different effects on blood glucose depending on their structure, digestion rate, and the overall composition of the food.
Faster-absorbed sweeteners include:
Glucose (dextrose)
Table sugar (sucrose)
Corn syrup
Maltodextrin
These tend to raise blood glucose more quickly.
Other commonly used sweeteners:
Honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, and fruit concentrates may produce different responses depending on portion size, food pairing, and overall meal composition.
Although often marketed as “natural,” these are still considered added sugars and should be consumed in moderation.
The Takeaway
Developing the habit of reading labels to find those hidden sugars can help you make more informed food choices. Because healthy eating isn’t about perfection—it’s about making informed choices more often.
