Sugar is naturally present in many whole foods and added to virtually all processed foods. You may see some chemical names of sugar and other names on labels When buying packaged foods, it’s good to know all the names of sugar that food manufacturers are using so you can make better purchasing decision. This list doesn’t include artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes I’ve gathered over 50 different names, hopefully, your eyes won’t glaze over while you’re reading through this list.
allulose
brown sugar
evaporated cane sugar
cane sugar
coconut sugar
maltose
dextrose
mannose
lactose
sucrose
fructose
high fructose corn syrup
levulose
galactose
glucose
beet sugar
cane juice
evaporated cane juice
cane juice crystals
raw sugar
yellow sugar
golden sugar
grape sugar
dextrin
Florida crystals
date sugar
palm sugar
crystalline fructose
cane sugar
confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)
ethyl maltol
glucose syrup solids
grape sugar
corn syrup solids
diastatic malt
castor sugar
agave syrup
table sugar
granulated sugar
sucanat
turbinado sugar
maltodextrin
icing sugar
muscovado sugar
barley malt
carob syrup
fruit juice
caramel
corn syrup
blackstrap molasses
molasses
brown rice syrup
fruit juice concentrate
invert sugar
honey
maple syrup
rice syrup
sorghum syrup
refiner’s syrup
malt syrup
treacle
golden syrup
Just because these sugars are present in foods doesn’t mean they are bad. The key thing to remember is how many grams are present in the packaged foods you’re purchasing. If the first two ingredients are some type of sugar or the grams are in the high single digits or double digits per serving, that item may not be a good choice.