Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 22, 2026

Highly Sensitive and Rapid Fluorescence Detection with a Portable FRET Analyzer
Published on: October 1, 2016
Added sugar in the packaged foods and beverages available at a major Canadian retailer in 2015: a descriptive
Rachel B Acton1, Lana Vanderlee1, Erin P Hobin1
1School of Public Health and Health Systems (Acton, Vanderlee, Hobin, Hammond), University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ont.; Department of Nutritional Sciences (Vanderlee) and Dalla Lana School of Public Health (Hobin), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Public Health Ontario (Hobin, Hammond), Toronto, Ont.
Background:
Excess consumption of added sugars has been associated with a variety of health problems, but there is little information available characterizing added sugar in the Canadian food supply. This study examined the presence and types of added sugars in the packaged food and beverage products available at a major Canadian grocery retailer.
Methods:
We searched the ingredients lists of over 40 000 packaged food products available for sale in March 2015 for a variety of added sugar terms. Proportions of food products containing added sugar were identified overall and within food product categories. Differences in total sugar content were identified between food products with and without added sugar.
Results:
Overall, 66% of the packaged food products analyzed contained at least 1 added sugar. The added sugar term "sugar" (and its variations) appeared the most frequently, followed by "dextrose." Added sugar presence and total sugar content varied within many product categories but were consistently higher in expected categories such as "beverages." Mean total sugar content was significantly higher in products with added sugar than in those without, both overall (p < 0.001) and within most product subcategories (p < 0.02).
Interpretation:
About two-thirds of the packaged foods and beverages available at a major Canadian grocery retailer contain added sugar, similar to recent patterns estimated for the US food supply. The results provide an estimation of the baseline characterization of added sugar in the Canadian food supply, which can be used to assess outcomes of future changes to sugar labelling policies in Canada.
Related Concept Videos
Carbohydrate Metabolism
Starch accounts for approximately 60% of the carbohydrates consumed by humans. Since amylase enzymes cannot function in the stomach's acidic environment, starch can only be digested in the mouth and small intestine. Simple sugars are found naturally in milk and fruits in the...
Sugars as Energy Storage Molecules
Convenience Sampling Method
Convenience sampling is a non-random method of sample selection; this method selects individuals that are easily accessible and may result in biased data. For example, a marketing...
Sugars as Energy Storage Molecules
Taste Buds and Receptors

