Nutritional Tag Program: Sugar-Free/Reduced Sugar

Health & Wellness

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends a diet low in added sugars or caloric sweeteners. Additional sugar beyond your individual needs can lead to unwanted weight gain. Most sugars provide empty calories meaning it provides little or no nutrients…just calories!

"In 1967, Americans ate 114 pounds of sugar and sweeteners a year per capita, nearly all of it as either raw or refined sugar. In 2003, each person consumed about 142 pounds of sugar per year." - US News and World Report (3/28/2005)

Many of our store guests have expressed interest in sugar-free or reduced sugar foods for managing diabetes or weight. However, the S tag can be used by anyone as a guide to selecting sugar-free or reduced sugar foods.

This tag is given to sugar-free and reduced sugar products. The intention of this tag is to help our guests easily identify products receiving one of the FDA regulated terms below or containing 25% less sugar than the original product but may not be clearly labeled.

"Sugar-free": less than 0.5 g sugar per serving
"Reduced sugar": at least 25% less sugar than the reference food

Some things to know about Sugar-Free / Reduced Sugar foods

Some foods identified by the S tag contain artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners may not be appropriate for everyone.

Not every product identified by the S tag is healthy, lower in calories or recommended. . Some manufacturers will increase the fat or another ingredient of the product to maintain the taste, in the absence of sugar. Compare products to identify the best choice for you.

What are added sugars and where would I find them?

Added sugars are sugars and syrups that are added to foods or beverages during processing or preparation. This does not include naturally occurring sugars such as those that occur in milk and fruits.