Efficacy of Formats for Added Sugar Labeling on Pre‐Packaged Foods

Most health authorities suggest limiting added sugar consumption. In Canada and the US, current nutrition labels require information for total sugars, with no differentiation between naturally occurring sugars or added sugars, and do not provide a % daily value (%DV) as a reference of recommended consumption. An online study was conducted with 2,010 young people ages 16 to 24 from across Canada. Participants were asked questions regarding perceptions of sugar and recommendations for sugar intake. Participants were then shown one of three current nutrition labels including ingredients lists labeled with information for: total sugar only; total + added sugar; or total + added sugar + %DV for added sugar, and asked if there was any added sugar in the product, and if the amount of added sugar was a little, a moderate amount, or a lot. In total, 59% reported thinking of sugar in grams, 33% in teaspoons and 8% in other measures. Overall, 3% of participants correctly reported the recommended limit for added sugar as <10% of energy intake. Participants were more likely to correctly identify that the product contained added sugar when labeled (95% in total + added sugar and 93% in total + added sugar + %DV vs. 78% total sugar only, p<0.05). When asked, 55% of participants in total + added sugar condition and 73% of those in total + added sugar + %DV condition correctly identified added sugar content as 'a lot', compared to 42% in the total sugar only condition (p<0.05). Improved labeling may improve consumer knowledge of added sugar and levels of added sugar in food products. This research may help inform recently announced reformatting of Nutrition Facts information on prepackaged food items in Canada and the US.