Sugar Check for Kids

Methodology

Last updated: September 19, 2026

Data sources

Our primary source is Open Food Facts (ODbL license), a community-maintained open database of packaged food products. We filter to US products and update our catalog weekly.

Where Open Food Facts is missing added sugar data, we cross-reference USDA FoodData Central and product labels. Every product page shows its data source and the date it was last verified.

Tier rules

Tier A - total_sugar < 0.5g/serving (FDA 21 CFR 101.60)

Tier B - added_sugar = 0g/serving; total_sugar ≥ 0.5g

Tier C - added_sugar > 0 and ≤ 3g/serving

Tier D - added_sugar > 3 and ≤ 5g/serving

Tier E - added_sugar > 5g/serving

When a product lacks an added sugar field, we use total sugar as an upper bound. This is conservative - it over-penalizes products where all sugar is natural (e.g. fruit pouches). We mark these with "added sugar not recorded" on the product page.

Primary references

  1. FDA (2020). Food Labeling: Revision of the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels. 21 CFR 101.
  2. AHA (2016). Added Sugars and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Children. Circulation, 135(19).
  3. AAP (2019). Fruit Juice in Infants, Children, and Adolescents. Pediatrics, 139(6).
  4. USDA/HHS (2020). Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025. 9th Edition.

Serving size

We always compute per the label serving size - never per 100g. If we can't parse the serving size to grams, we don't publish a tier for that product.

Correction policy

Found an error? Email corrections@sugarcheckforkids.com with the product name, the incorrect value, and a label photo or source link. We'll review within 48 hours and note corrections on the product page.