“Low sugar” has no single universal definition, and the answer depends on whether you’re reading a food label, checking your blood glucose, or trying to follow dietary guidelines. In the United States, the FDA has never established a legal threshold for calling a food “low sugar,” which means the phrase on a package can be surprisingly vague. Other countries, daily intake recommendations, and blood sugar readings each use their own specific numbers.
Why “Low Sugar” Has No Official U.S. Definition
The FDA regulates nutrient content claims on food packaging, setting precise rules for terms like “low fat,” “low sodium,” and “low calorie.” But it never created a standard for “low sugar.” That means a U.S. food manufacturer cannot legally use the phrase “low sugar” as a nutrient content claim on a label, and there’s no gram-per-serving threshold to back it up.
What the FDA does define are two related claims. A product labeled “sugar free” must contain less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving. A product labeled “reduced sugar” must have at least 25 percent less sugar per serving than the standard version of that food, and the label has to name the comparison product and show the difference. So if you see “reduced sugar” on a jar of pasta sauce, the brand is comparing it to its own regular version or a similar product, and the sugar content is at least a quarter lower.
This gap is about to get partially filled. In January 2025, the FDA proposed a new front-of-package labeling system that would place a small “nutrition info” box on most packaged foods. Saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars would each receive a rating of “low,” “medium,” or “high” based on the percentage of daily value in one serving. If finalized, this would be the first time U.S. labels formally use the word “low” in connection with sugar.
The EU and UK Do Have a Threshold
Outside the U.S., the European Union (and the UK, which retained these standards) sets a clear legal cutoff. A food can be labeled “low sugars” only if it contains no more than 5 grams of sugar per 100 grams for solid foods, or no more than 2.5 grams per 100 milliliters for liquids. For context, 100 grams is roughly 3.5 ounces of food. If you’re comparing products and want a concrete benchmark, these EU thresholds are a useful rule of thumb even if you live in the U.S.
How Much Sugar Per Day Is Considered Low
When people search for “low sugar,” they often mean: how much should I actually be eating? Two major health organizations offer specific numbers. The World Health Organization recommends keeping free sugars (any sugar added to food, plus sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, and fruit juice) below 10 percent of total daily calories, and says dropping below 5 percent, roughly 25 grams or 6 teaspoons per day, provides additional health benefits.
The American Heart Association is stricter. It recommends no more than 24 grams (about 6 teaspoons) of added sugar per day for most women, and no more than 36 grams (about 9 teaspoons) for most men. A single 12-ounce can of regular soda typically contains around 40 grams of sugar, which blows past both limits in one drink.
Low Sugar in Beverages
Drinks are a major source of added sugar, and Harvard’s School of Public Health uses a simple color-coded system to categorize them. “Green” drinks, the best choices, have little or no added sugar: water, sparkling water, unsweetened coffee, and tea. “Yellow” drinks contain up to about 1 gram of sugar per ounce, which works out to 12 grams in a 12-ounce serving. “Red” drinks go well above that, with some packing 40 or more grams of sugar in 12 ounces.
If you’re looking for a practical cutoff for beverages, that 12-grams-per-12-ounces mark is a reasonable line between moderate and high. Anything with no added sugar is clearly low, and anything pushing past 1 gram per ounce is in high-sugar territory.
Low Sugar Fruits
Fruit contains natural sugar, but the fiber, water, and nutrients in whole fruit slow digestion and reduce the blood sugar spike compared to the same amount of sugar in processed food. Among common fruits, berries consistently rank lowest. A half-cup of sliced strawberries has about 6.5 grams of carbohydrates (most of which is sugar), and a half-cup of blackberries has about 7 grams. Raspberries come in at 7.5 grams per half-cup, and cranberries at 6.5 grams.
Citrus falls in the middle range. Half a grapefruit has about 10.5 grams of carbs, a clementine about 9 grams, and a medium orange about 15.5 grams. Blueberries, despite their reputation as a health food, are higher than other berries at 11 grams per half-cup. A whole orange has what’s considered a low glycemic load (below 10 on the scale) because its fiber balances out the fructose, meaning it raises blood sugar more gradually than you’d expect from its sugar content alone.
Low Blood Sugar Is a Different Question
If you searched “low sugar” because you’re concerned about your blood glucose levels, the medical threshold is different from anything on a food label. Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is generally defined as a blood glucose reading below 70 mg/dL for people with diabetes. Symptoms include shakiness, sweating, confusion, irritability, and a fast heartbeat. It most commonly happens in people who use insulin or certain diabetes medications, though it can occasionally occur in people without diabetes after prolonged fasting or intense exercise.
Blood sugar naturally fluctuates throughout the day. A normal fasting level typically falls between 70 and 100 mg/dL. Readings consistently below 70 mg/dL with symptoms warrant attention, especially if they happen repeatedly.
Reading Labels Without a “Low Sugar” Claim
Since U.S. labels can’t formally say “low sugar,” you’ll need to check the Nutrition Facts panel yourself. Look at two lines: “Total Sugars” and “Includes Added Sugars,” listed directly beneath it. The added sugars line, required on all U.S. nutrition labels, shows how much sugar was put into the product during manufacturing versus what occurs naturally in ingredients like fruit or milk.
The FDA’s daily value for added sugars is 50 grams, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. A product showing 5 percent daily value or less per serving would land in roughly “low” territory. A product at 20 percent or more is considered high. Using the EU’s benchmark as an additional reference point, a solid food with 5 grams of sugar or less per 100 grams is genuinely low in sugar by international standards.
Sugar alcohols, found in many “sugar-free” or “no sugar added” products, are a common source of confusion. These sweeteners (often listed as ingredients ending in “-ol”) contain fewer calories than regular sugar and cause a smaller rise in blood sugar. They do still contain some carbohydrates and calories, so “sugar-free” products sweetened with them aren’t calorie-free. They can also cause digestive discomfort in larger amounts.