Sugars: how much is too much & where it’s found

What it is

Fruit and plain milk contain naturally occurring sugars, which are not considered added sugars. Added sugars hide under many names on labels, such as corn syrup, dextrose, sucrose, honey and fruit juice concentrate. USDA

The numbers below are total sugars, natural and added together, because food composition tables (BLS 4.0) list total sugars. Most foods in our database are whole foods, so much of the sugar shown comes from fruit, which the guidelines recommend eating. For packaged foods, check the label for added sugars. MRI (BLS)USDA

Official limits

US No amount of added sugars is recommended; one meal should contain no more than 10 g of added sugars. Avoid sugar-sweetened drinks (Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025–2030). USDA
US label FDA Daily Value for added sugars: 50 g. FDA
US National Academies: added sugars no more than 25 % of daily calories. US National Academies (DRIs)
WHO Free sugars less than 10 % of daily energy, with further benefits below 5 %. WHO WHO

Most total sugars per portion

Food	Portion	Sugars
Banana	120 g	16.7 g
Mango	150 g	16.5 g
Pomegranate	100 g	16.1 g
Dates, dried	20 g	15.8 g
Apple	150 g	15.7 g
Pear	150 g	15.1 g
Sweet cherries	100 g	13.7 g
Orange	150 g	13.3 g
Grapes	100 g	12.1 g
Prunes (dried plums)	30 g	11.2 g
Sweet potato	200 g	11 g
Grapefruit	150 g	9.8 g
Blueberries	100 g	9.7 g
Milk, 1.5% fat	250 g	9.7 g
Oat drink, fortified	250 g	9.5 g