Walk through any supermarket today and you'll see products labelled "Zero Added Sugar," "No Added Sugar," and "Sugar-Free." They sound interchangeable, but they aren't.
In fact, these claims are regulated differently and tell you different things about what's inside the product. Understanding the distinction can help you make better choices—not just for beverages, but for packaged foods in general.
Here's what each label actually means.
What Does "Zero Added Sugar" Mean?
A product labelled Zero Added Sugar means no sugars have been added during manufacturing.
That includes ingredients such as:
- White sugar
- Brown sugar
- Honey
- Jaggery
- Corn syrup
- Glucose syrup
- Cane sugar
- Molasses
The sweetness may instead come from naturally occurring sugars already present in ingredients or from non-sugar sweeteners such as monk fruit or stevia.
Importantly, Zero Added Sugar doesn't necessarily mean the product contains zero sugar.
For example, a drink made entirely from fruit juice contains naturally occurring fruit sugars even if no additional sugar is added during production.
What Does "Sugar-Free" Mean?
Sugar-Free is a much stricter claim.
In many food regulations, including those followed internationally, a product must contain only a very small amount of sugar per serving to qualify as sugar-free.
This refers to total sugar, not just added sugar.
A sugar-free beverage therefore contains virtually no naturally occurring or added sugars.
And What About "No Added Sugar"?
For consumers, No Added Sugar and Zero Added Sugar generally communicate the same idea:
No sugars have been added during manufacturing.
However, naturally occurring sugars from ingredients like fruit, milk or vegetables can still be present.
That's why reading the nutrition panel alongside the front-of-pack claim is always worthwhile.
Why the Difference Matters
Imagine three drinks.
Drink A
Fresh orange juice.
No sugar has been added, but oranges naturally contain sugar.
Drink B
A traditional soft drink.
Sugar has been added during manufacturing.
Drink C
A beverage sweetened with monk fruit.
No sugar has been added, and sweetness comes from compounds that aren't sugars.
All three taste sweet.
Only one contains added sugar.
Understanding these differences makes food labels much less confusing.
Zero Added Sugar Doesn't Automatically Mean Healthy
This is where marketing can sometimes oversimplify things.
Removing added sugar is certainly a positive step—but it doesn't automatically make a product nutritious.
A beverage could have:
- very little fibre
- minimal nutritional value
- lots of artificial additives
- high levels of naturally occurring sugars
Likewise, a product containing some naturally occurring sugar isn't automatically unhealthy. The overall nutritional profile matters far more than a single claim on the front of the pack. When comparing products, rather than relying on one headline claim, it's useful to look at:
- Total sugar
- Added sugar
- Dietary fibre
- Calories
- Ingredient list
Where Hadō Fits
Hadō carries a Zero Added Sugar claim because no sugar is added during formulation. Instead, sweetness comes from monk fruit, whose sweetness is derived from naturally occurring compounds called mogrosides, not sugar.
At the same time, each can provides 10g of prebiotic fibre from inulin and fructooligosaccharides (FOS)—adding something meaningful rather than simply taking sugar away.
That's an important distinction.
Many drinks focus only on what they've removed.
Hadō is designed around what it contributes as well.
The Bigger Picture
Food labels are useful, but they only tell part of the story.
Rather than asking,
"Is this sugar-free?"
it's often more helpful to ask,
"What is this product actually made of?"
Understanding the ingredients, the source of sweetness and the overall nutritional profile gives a much clearer picture than any single claim on the front of the pack.
That's true whether you're choosing a breakfast cereal, a yoghurt or a can of soda.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Zero Added Sugar mean sugar-free?
No. Zero Added Sugar means no sugars have been added during manufacturing, but naturally occurring sugars from ingredients may still be present.
What's the difference between Zero Added Sugar and No Added Sugar?
For consumers, the two terms generally communicate the same thing: no sugars have been added during production. Naturally occurring sugars may still be present.
Is a Zero Added Sugar drink healthier than a regular soft drink?
It depends on the overall formulation. Removing added sugar is beneficial, but it's also worth considering total calories, fibre, ingredient quality and other nutrients rather than focusing on a single claim.
Why does Hadō say Zero Added Sugar instead of Sugar-Free?
Hadō is transparent about how it's formulated. It contains no added sugar and is sweetened with monk fruit, while also delivering 10g of prebiotic fibre. The emphasis isn't just on removing sugar but on creating a more nutritionally purposeful beverage.
Can naturally occurring sugar still raise blood sugar?
Yes. Sugar is metabolised by the body regardless of whether it's naturally occurring or added. The source, quantity and the overall composition of the food or drink—including fibre—can all influence how your body responds.