# Added Sugars: FDA Daily Value

The FDA Daily Value for Added Sugars is 50 g for adults and children 4 or more years of age (§ 101.9(c)(9)). It changes by population group; see the table below.

**URL:** https://bettermenu.live/tools/rda/added-sugars/
**Provider:** BetterMenu (https://bettermenu.live)
**Dataset:** US Nutrition Label Rules v17.0.0 (CFR snapshot: 2026-02-12)
**Type:** DRV (Daily Reference Value), based on a 2,000-calorie diet
**Unit:** g
**Citation:** § 101.9(c)(9)

## Daily Value by population group

Source: FDA, § 101.9(c)(9). "Not applicable" means the nutrient is absent from that group's FDA table; "No DV" means it is listed with no established value.

| Population group | Daily Value | Low (5% of DV) | High (20% of DV) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Adults & children 4+ | 50 g | 2.5 g | 10 g |
| Children 1–3 years | 25 g | 1.25 g | 5 g |
| Pregnant & lactating | 50 g | 2.5 g | 10 g |
| Infants 0–12 months | Not applicable | n/a | n/a |

## Before 2016

New in 2016. The 2016 label rule added a Daily Value for added sugars.

Source: 21 CFR 101.9(c)(9), edition revised as of April 1, 2016. "(9) For the purpose of labeling with a percent of the DRV, the following DRV's are established for the following food components based on the reference caloric intake of 2,000 calories:" The April 1, 2016 edition of 21 CFR 101.9(c)(9) lists no added sugars.

The 2016 rule took effect on July 26, 2016 (81 FR 33742). Labels had to use the new values by January 1, 2020 for manufacturers with $10 million or more in annual food sales, and by January 1, 2021 for smaller ones (83 FR 19619). Values are for adults and children 4 or more years of age (21 CFR 101.9(c)(8)(i)).

- [View the 2016 edition (govinfo.gov)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2016-title21-vol2/pdf/CFR-2016-title21-vol2-sec101-9.pdf)
- [View the rule, 81 FR 33742 (Federal Register)](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/05/27/2016-11867/food-labeling-revision-of-the-nutrition-and-supplement-facts-labels)

## How are added sugars declared on a Nutrition Facts label?

Added sugars is a required line, indented under Total Sugars as “Includes X g Added Sugars”. (21 CFR 101.9(c)(6)(iii)) A product with less than 1 gram per serving that makes no claim about sweeteners, sugars, added sugars or sugar alcohol may leave it off. (21 CFR 101.9(c)(6)(iii)) Except on the simplified format, the label then says “Not a significant source of added sugars” at the bottom of the nutrient table. (21 CFR 101.9(c)(6)(iii)) Its %DV is highlighted, for example in bold type. (21 CFR 101.9(d)(1)(iv))

## How %DV is calculated

1. Divide the amount of added sugars in one serving by its Daily Value (50 g), and multiply by 100.
2. Round the result with this nutrient's %DV rounding table (§ 101.9(d)(7)(ii)), shown below.
3. 21 CFR 101.9(d)(7)(ii) permits either the actual amount in the serving or the amount declared on the label (itself rounded) as the basis for step 1.
4. FDA reads 5% DV or less as a little and 20% DV or more as a lot.

## Label rounding rules

- Regulation: 0 below 0.5 g · nearest 1 g above

### Amount

Source: FDA, § 101.9(c)(6)(iii)

| Amount range (g) | Declared as |
| --- | --- |
| 0 to <0.5 | declare 0 |
| 0.5 to <1 | Contains less than 1 gram |
| ≥0.5 | nearest 1 g |

### % Daily Value

Source: FDA, § 101.9(d)(7)(ii)

| %DV range | Rounded to |
| --- | --- |
| ≥0% DV | Nearest 1% |

## Related

- HTML page: https://bettermenu.live/tools/rda/added-sugars/
- All FDA Daily Values: https://bettermenu.live/tools/rda.md
- Machine-readable dataset: https://bettermenu.live/tools/rda/data.json