Sugar is omnipresent in our diet: yogurts, compotes, cakes, preserves and even prepared meals, it hides almost everywhere. However, sugar is far from being our ally. Thus, to attract consumers concerned about their health or their sugar intake, certain products display statements such as “sugar-free” or “no added sugars”. However, these statements can be misleading if their meaning is not clearly understood. At first glance, these marketing arguments seem to mean more or less the same thing, but in reality, these labels obey very distinct definitions governed by European regulations, but above all, they respond to different needs and their understanding allows us to consume more healthily.
“Sugar-free”
The term “sugar-free” indicates that the product contains virtually no simple sugars such as glucose, fructose or sucrose. However, a minimum tolerance is allowed, because even certain so-called “sugar-free” products sometimes contain residual sugar. Thus, a product is considered “sugar-free” if it contains a maximum of 0.5 g of sugar per 100 g or 100 ml.
“No added sugars”
A product is qualified as “no added sugars” when no sugar or ingredient used for its sweetening power has been added during production. Which above all means that a “no added sugars” product can still be rich in sugars if they come from the basic ingredients. For example, a “no added sugar” fruit juice contains a significant amount of natural sugars from the fruits themselves, but it will not have any additional sugar added during its manufacture. Please note, however, that the addition of artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin, sucralose or even stevia is authorized. Problem is, these artificial sweeteners, used to replace simple sugar, could “have potential adverse effects” according to the World Health Organization “such as an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and mortality in children. adults.”
Other mentions
There are other regulated terms around sugar, including “reduced sugar” or “low sugar content”. The “reduced sugar” product contains at least 30% less sugar compared to the reference product of the same brand. In the case of “low sugar content”, it does not contain more than 5 g of sugar per 100 g for solid products or 2.5 g per 100 ml for liquids.
As you will have understood, to make informed food choices, it is preferable to decipher food labels and trust the complete nutritional information, but above all to consume in moderation, even products low in sugar.
