Do you choose cereals, compote or a breakfast drink with the words “no added sugars”? The answer to remember is simple: this logo does not mean that the product is not very sweet. It only indicates that no sugar has been added to sweeten the product.
To avoid misunderstanding, you have to look at two lines: “including sugars” and the list of ingredients.
“No added sugars”: a supervised statement, but often misunderstood
In France, the “no added sugars” claim is defined by European regulations. It means that no monosaccharide, disaccharide or other ingredient used for its sweetening properties has been added to the product. It is therefore not a vague formula nor a free marketing promise.
But she doesn’t say everything. A product may contain sugars naturally present in its ingredients: fruits, milk, cereals or certain vegetables, for example. In this case, the label may carry a statement such as “contains naturally occurring sugars”. This explains why a compote, even without added sugars, can contain several grams of sugars.
The trap comes mainly from the confusion with two other mentions. “Sugar-free” is much stricter: the product must not exceed 0.5 g of sugar per 100 g or 100 ml. And “low sugar content” corresponds to a precise threshold: a maximum of 5 g per 100 g in a solid food, or 2.5 g per 100 ml in a drink.
So a “no added sugar” compote can be useful if you want to avoid added sugar, but it is not automatically comparable to a “low sugar” product. These are two different pieces of information.
In the breakfast section, first compare the “including sugars” line
Cereals, fruit mueslis, breakfast biscuits, compotes, plant-based drinks: in this section, the packaging often highlights reassuring promises.
To know what you are really buying, the most reliable reference is the “carbohydrates, including sugars” line.
On prepackaged foods, this information must be expressed per 100 g or 100 ml. It is this basis which allows us to compare two products, even if the portions put forward by the brands are not the same. The serving size can then help estimate what you are actually consuming, but it should not be used as the only comparison.
When choosing, three checks are enough:
- Locate the line “including sugars” for 100 g or 100 ml, before looking at the portion;
- Compare only similar products: cereals with cereals, compotes with compotes, drinks with drinks;
- Read the ingredient list to see if a sugar or sweetening ingredient appears.
The list of ingredients completes the reading of the nutritional table. The ingredients are listed in descending order of weight. If a sweetening ingredient appears very early, the product deserves to be compared to another reference on the same shelf.
To go further in this reading, our advice for spotting hidden sugars in industrial products can help you form simple habits.
Situations where the label can be misleading
The term “no added sugars” is particularly misleading when the product already contains naturally sweet or concentrated ingredients. A compote, a fruit puree or certain fruit cereal mixtures can contain sugars without table sugar having been added.
This is no reason to demonize these foods. The question is above all not to confuse a lack of addition with a low total quantity. Two “no added sugars” products can have very different sugar contents, depending on their recipe and ingredients.
Another common situation: rewarding mentions such as “fruit”, “source of fiber” or “complete recipe”. They may attract attention, but they do not replace the nutritional table.
To do your shopping while limiting sugary products, it is better to calmly compare two or three references rather than relying on the front of the package.
Finally, if your goal is to reduce sugars at breakfast, keep reading practical. First search for “including sugars” then check if the product is “no added sugars”, “sugar free” or “low sugar”.
If two products seem similar to you, choose the one whose content per 100 g or 100 ml best suits your use and your tastes, without turning breakfast into a permanent calculation.