Would labeling added sugars on the Nutrition Facts panel confuse consumers, as industry opponents of the change have suggested? A new study of 500 consumers, published in the journal Obesity, rebuts those concerns: 63% of those surveyed said that including added sugar as a subset of total sugar on product labels would help them track and reduce their sugar intake. Only 18% responded that the change would be more confusing than helpful, giving reasons that suggest they were indifferent to the information rather than truly confused, and were likely among those who seldom look at nutrition labels anyway.
The FDA proposed listing added sugars as part of a makeover of the Nutrition Facts panel on food packages. Health organizations applauded the idea, but an array of industry groups complained, noting that all sugars affect the body the same way.