Learn
Kids food ingredients
The ingredient list is where sugar hides under other names. Each guide covers one of those names: what it is, how FDA classifies it, and how the grams count toward a child's daily limit.
Sweeteners
Added sugars, syrups, and high-intensity sweeteners. Some count toward the AHA 25 g child ceiling, some use an ADI in milligrams per kg.
Added sugar, same limit as cane sugar
High-fructose corn syrup
HFCS 42 and HFCS 55 are added sugars. Learn how their fructose-to-glucose ratio compares to table sugar, what a 2022 meta-analysis found, and how to count the grams against the AHA 25 g child ceiling.
Not added sugar; FDA ADI is 5 mg/kg
Sucralose
Sucralose is 600 times sweeter than sugar and does not count as added sugar. Learn how the FDA 5 mg/kg ADI works for a child's body weight and why a 0 g sugar stamp can still mean sucralose is in the cup.
Not added sugar; PKU warning required
Aspartame
Aspartame carries a 50 mg/kg FDA ADI and a mandatory PKU warning. Learn what IARC Group 2B means, what the NutriNet-Santé cohort found, and why FDA still calls it safe under approved uses.
Not added sugar; purified extract only
Stevia (Reb A)
Purified stevia glycosides carry a 4 mg/kg steviol ADI. Learn why FDA blocks crude leaf in conventional food, how erythritol blends change the check, and what the 2023 WHO guideline says.
Not added sugar; GI upset at high doses
Sugar alcohols
Sugar alcohols show 0 g added sugars but can still cause GI upset. Learn the FDA calorie factors for each polyol, the mandatory laxative warning, why xylitol is toxic to dogs, and what 2023 erythritol clotting studies found.
Not added sugar; FDA ADI is 15 mg/kg
Acesulfame potassium
Ace-K carries a 15 mg/kg ADI now matched by EFSA (raised from 9 mg/kg in January 2025). Learn why it is almost always paired with sucralose or aspartame and how to run two ADI meters at once.
Not added sugar; no formal ADI exists
Monk fruit
Monk fruit (Luo Han Guo) extract sweetens without sugar or calories, but FDA has not set an ADI. Learn why EFSA flagged insufficient toxicity data, how erythritol blends work, and what 2025 RCT evidence shows.
Added sugar, not the same as HFCS
Corn syrup
Corn syrup is almost all glucose, not the same as HFCS. Learn how 21 CFR 184.1865 defines it, why a "no HFCS" banner can still hide corn syrup, and how the grams count against the AHA 25 g child ceiling.
Added sugar plus rice arsenic risk
Brown rice syrup
Brown rice syrup is added sugar that also carries inorganic arsenic from the rice plant. Learn what Jackson 2012 found in toddler formulas, why FDA's 100 ppb action level does not cover syrup, and how organic status does not lower arsenic.
Added sugar, higher fructose than HFCS
Agave nectar
Agave nectar averages 84% fructose, well above HFCS 55. Learn why the low glycemic index is misleading, what a 2022 LWT review concluded about health effects, and how the grams count against the AHA 25 g child ceiling.
Additives
Preservatives, thickeners, and curing salts. None count as added sugar. Each has its own regulatory cap or safety question.
Not added sugar; seaweed thickener
Carrageenan
Carrageenan is a seaweed-derived thickener in yogurt, chocolate milk, and infant formula. Learn how it differs from poligeenan (the industrial gum behind the older inflammation studies), what JECFA said about formula use, and why the organic seal does not exclude it.
Not added sugar; processed-meat frequency is the check
Sodium nitrite
Sodium nitrite is a curing salt capped at 200 ppm in finished meat. Learn what IARC Group 1 for processed meat means, why "uncured" celery-powder hot dogs still supply nitrate, and why infant foods cannot contain nitrates.
Not added sugar; synthetic antioxidant
BHA and BHT
BHA and BHT are synthetic antioxidants capped at 50 ppm in cereal. Learn what IARC Group 2B means for BHA, why a 2021 review found the rodent mechanism is not relevant to humans, and how mixed tocopherols replace them in organic products.
Colors
Synthetic dyes with FDA ADIs. FDA announced a phase-out of petroleum-based dyes by end of 2026.
Not added sugar; FDA phase-out by end of 2026
Red 40
Red 40 is the most-used certified dye in US food. Learn how the 7 mg/kg ADI works, what OEHHA found about behavior in children, and how FDA's April 2025 announcement to phase out petroleum-based dyes changes the landscape.
Not added sugar; must be named for allergy reasons
Yellow 5
Yellow 5 is the only FD&C dye that must be named on butter, cheese, and ice cream. Learn how the 5 mg/kg ADI works, why FDA requires naming for allergy reasons, and how the April 2025 dye phase-out applies.
Need the gram math?
Tally a lunchbox or turn a label into teaspoons.