Hidden Sugars in Indian Packaged Foods

India is facing a diabetes epidemic, with over 100 million people living with the condition. One of the major contributing factors is the high sugar content in packaged foods, much of which is hidden behind unfamiliar names on ingredient lists.

The Many Names of Sugar

Sugar appears on food labels under at least 50 different names. Here are the most common ones you will find on Indian packaged foods:

Sucrose: Regular table sugar, often listed simply as "sugar."
Glucose syrup / Glucose-fructose syrup: A liquid sweetener made from starch, commonly found in biscuits, sweets, and beverages.
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS): Less common in India than in Western countries, but increasingly found in imported and processed foods.
Maltodextrin: A highly processed carbohydrate derived from starch. It has a high glycemic index and spikes blood sugar rapidly.
Invert sugar: A mixture of glucose and fructose, used in confectionery and beverages for its smooth texture.
Jaggery / Gur: Often marketed as a "healthy" alternative to sugar, jaggery is still sugar with a similar caloric content and glycemic impact.
Honey: While it contains some minerals, honey is still primarily sugar (fructose and glucose) and should be counted as added sugar.
Dextrose: Another name for glucose, commonly used in sports drinks and energy bars.
Malt extract / Barley malt: Contains maltose (a sugar) and is commonly found in breakfast cereals and health drinks.

Where Hidden Sugars Lurk

Breakfast Cereals and Muesli

Many breakfast cereals marketed as healthy contain 25-35% sugar by weight. A typical serving of flavoured muesli can contain 12-15g of sugar, which is half the recommended daily limit. Even cereals marketed to children as "fortified with vitamins" can be loaded with sugar.

Packaged Fruit Juices

Most packaged fruit juices sold in India contain added sugar on top of the natural fruit sugars. A 200ml box of popular fruit juice can contain 20-25g of sugar. The labelling can be misleading: "no added sugar" does not mean low sugar, as the product may be made from fruit concentrate which is essentially sugar.

Flavoured Yogurt and Curd

Plain curd is a healthy food, but flavoured yogurts and curd products often contain significant added sugar. A single cup of flavoured yogurt can have 15-20g of sugar. The fruit flavouring is usually a sugar syrup with minimal actual fruit content.

Bread

Even bread contains added sugar. A typical slice of white bread contains 2-3g of sugar, and many "brown bread" or "whole wheat bread" products contain similar or even higher sugar levels. Over a day, if you eat four slices, that is 8-12g of sugar just from bread.

Sauces and Condiments

Tomato ketchup can contain up to 25% sugar by weight. Sweet chilli sauce, barbecue sauce, and many Indian pickle preparations also contain significant amounts of added sugar. Even savoury items like pasta sauce and ready-to-cook gravies often list sugar as a key ingredient.

How to Spot Hidden Sugars

The most reliable method is to check the nutrition table for "total sugars" or "of which sugars" and look at the per-100g column for a fair comparison. Products with more than 12.5g of sugar per 100g are considered high in sugar. Products with 5g or less per 100g are considered low.

Also check where sugar (in any of its forms) appears in the ingredient list. If any form of sugar is in the first three ingredients, the product is heavily sweetened.

Practical Tips

Compare similar products and choose the one with less sugar per 100g.
Prefer plain versions (plain curd, unflavoured oats) and add your own sweetness with fresh fruit.
Be skeptical of "health" foods. Many protein bars, granola, and "digestive" biscuits are high in sugar.
Use a food scanning tool to quickly check sugar content before purchasing.