Sugar-Free Claims are Sticky Business

Health claims used to market recipes and packaged foods are notoriously deceptive, often intentionally so. But despite this reality, it would seem that a plain-language, straightforward claim like "sugar-free" should be among the less misleading ones. As in, a recipe or food marketed as "sugar-free" would be expected to be, well, free of sugar. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration offers very clear guidance as to what a sugar-free claim is supposed to mean, at least for the packaged foods and drinks under its regulatory purview: less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving, and "contains no ingredient that is a sugar or generally understood to contain sugars."

And yet it won't surprise the more jaded eaters among us that even this seemingly straightforward claim is anything but. Specifically, "sugar-free" is one of many serially misused and abused marketing claims -- which, often enough, is applied to foods that contain ample amounts of sugar. Although the FDA guidelines apply to labels on packaged foods and drinks, they do not apply to, say, online blogs, cookbook recipes or restaurant signage. As such, there exist plenty of loopholes through which a sugar-free claim (or a version of it) may sneak onto foods or drinks that actually contain a substantial amount of sugar.

[Read: Are We Sugar Crazy? ]

So when you see "sugar-free" used to describe a food, drink or recipe, here are a few of the possible things to consider:

"Sugar-free" is improperly used to describe foods that don't contain "white sugar."

Some folks take a very literal interpretation of "sugar" and use it to mean only the white, granulated stuff. But just as Eskimos have numerous words for snow, the universe has numerous names for sugar. There's honey, agave nectar, evaporated cane juice, corn syrup, barley malt, brown rice syrup, sucanat, coconut palm sugar, fruit juice or its concentrates, maple syrup, molasses, date puree -- just to name a quick dozen.

And sugar by any other name is just as sweet, equally caloric gram for gram and not measurably better for you than the white stuff you know as "table sugar," "white sugar" or "refined sugar." So even if the exact word "sugar" does not appear on an ingredient list, that doesn't mean a food or recipe is "sugar-free."

I've seen lots of recipes on Pinterest claiming to be sugar free, despite the presence of high-sugar ingredients such as apple juice concentrate or date puree among the required ingredients. I've also encountered the sugar-free claim in online marketing for packaged foods from time to time (but not on the product labels themselves), like for tomato sauces sweetened with agave nectar in lieu of white sugar.

Retail food establishments are also guilty of using the sugar-free claim deceptively. For example, one popular NYC cupcake bakery claims all of its baked goods are "refined sugar free" -- which is technically true, as their cupcakes are sweetened with agave nectar instead of refined "white sugar." But their claim leads many to believe that the cupcakes themselves are actually totally sugar free -- or at least lower in sugar than a conventional counterpart. So to be clear, despite the apparent halo conferred by a "refined sugar free" claim, it is nutritionally meaningless; it says nothing about whether the product is low in total sugar, whether it is lower in calories than a comparable product made with refined sugar or whether these foods are any healthier than comparable items made with refined sugar.

[Read: How and Why to Rid Sugar From Your Diet .]

"Sugar-free" is erroneously used to describe foods or beverages with "no added sugar."

If you tune into health news, you may be hearing more about the emerging distinction between naturally-occurring sugars -- like those inherent to a piece of whole fruit or a cup of milk -- and those added to our foods and drinks during processing, such as the sugar used to sweeten soda, cookies, flavored yogurts and breakfast cereals. Research has focused on the deleterious health effects of high intakes of added sugar, and several health authorities have issued recommendations as to how much added sugar is appropriate.

But just because a food has no added sugar, that doesn't mean it's sugar-free! Juice is a perfect example -- and is a food category in which I most frequently encounter this particular misuse of the "sugar-free claim." All the sugar in 100 percent juice may be naturally-occurring, but an 8-ounce cup still contains anywhere from 24 to 36 grams of it -- the equivalent of six to nine teaspoons. One online resource for parents that lists "Top Sugar-Free Apple Juice Brands for Toddlers" is a perfect example of "sugar-free" claim abuse: It lists products that have no added sugar, but are most certainly not sugar-free.

While packaged beverage companies are unlikely to push the limits on this claim due to clear FDA regulatory guidelines, be on guard for the sugar-free claim on signage at indie smoothie shops and juice presses in your community. To be clear: Juice is never sugar-free -- not even vegetable juice (7 grams per cup of V8), "green juice" (28 grams per 16-ounce bottle of a popular juice cleanse's green juice), or unsweetened coconut water (9 grams per cup). This isn't to say that there's no room for such beverages in your diet if you choose to consume them -- or even that they're not a better alternative to pure fruit juice in terms of sugar content. Rather, it is to say that even lower-sugar or no-added sugar juices are never "sugar free," and their sugar content should be counted against your sugar budget in the same way the sugar from other foods would be.

[Read: Ferreting Out the Added Sugar in Your Diet.]

"Sugar free is often code for "sweetened with sugar substitutes."

In a truthful application of the sugar-free claim, sweet-tasting non-sugar compounds are often used to provide the sweetness in a food or beverage instead of actual sugar. Examples may include naturally-derived extracts such as rebiana (stevia extract) or monk fruit extract (luo han guo); sugar alcohols such as erythritol, sorbitol or xylitol; or artificial sweeteners such as sucralose, aspartame and acesulfame potassium. These are all calorie-free or very low-calorie sweeteners that have minimal to no impact on blood sugar levels.

While these sweeteners are all considered to be safe by the FDA, the Center for Science in the Public Interest has voiced concern about how thoroughly these sweeteners have been tested, and therefore urges caution with regard to their use. However, if it's a choice between gobbling down loads of real sugar or consuming any of these sugar substitutes in moderation, the known risks of excessive sugar intake are probably more salient than the hypothetical risks associated with moderate intake of any of these sugar substitutes for most people.

Among the lot, sugar alcohols have perhaps the best safety track record, but be aware that doses in the 5 to 10 gram range and higher can produce gas and diarrhea. For people who consume multiple such "sugar-free" products daily -- from diet soft drinks and "skinny" frozen novelties to low-carb energy bars and sugarless gum and candy -- the combined dose of sugar alcohols may lead to an urgent situation in which you'd better not take your sweet time locating a toilet.

[Read: A Guide to Artificial Sweeteners .]

Tamara Duker Freuman, MS, RD, CDN, is a registered dietitian whose NYC-based clinical practice specializes in digestive disorders, celiac Disease, and food intolerances. Her personal blog, www.tamaraduker.com, focuses on healthy eating and gluten-free living.