7 Foods the FDA’s New Added Sugar Labels Will Totally Ruin for You

You may have heard that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is rolling out a new nutrition facts label in 2018 featuring an “added sugar” category. And you’re probably wondering what the heck that means for you.

Here’s the deal: The FDA wants to help you distinguish between added sugars (i.e. things like table sugar and sweeteners) and naturally occurring sugars (like the fructose found in fruit). The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend that you get no more than 10 percent of your daily calories from added sugars because they add a lot of calories to your diet without contributing much nutritionally. That’s why the FDA wants to make sure you know exactly where the sweet stuff in your food is coming from. 

Julie Upton, R.D., cofounder of nutrition website Appetite for Health, applauds the move, and says it should prompt companies to lower the added sugar content in their products. “They know consumers will be looking closely at added sugars and they are now forced to do something about it,” she says. Certified dietitian-nutritionist Lisa Moskovitz, R.D., CEO of NY Nutrition Group.  agrees. “Any time more information is available for consumers it can help them make better choices,” she says.

But experts say you might be shocked to know which foods contain added sugars. Here are some biggies to be on the lookout for: