| Category/subcategory | Mean total sugar, g/100 g or g/100 mL ± SD | No. (%) with added sugar | Mean total sugar in products without added sugar, g/100 g or g/100 mL ± SD | Mean total sugar in products with added sugar, g/100 g or g/100 mL ± SD | Absolute difference in total sugar, g* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milk and dairy (n = 5415) | 4.7 ± 5.9 | 1603 (29.6) | 2.1 ± 3.2 | 10.7 ± 6.4 | 8.5‡ |
| All milk, cream (n = 1374) | 7.1 ± 6.1 | 447 (32.5) | 4.8 ± 1.4 | 11.7 ± 8.7 | 6.9‡ |
| Dairy drinks and substitutes (n = 176) | 3.7 ± 3.8 | 111 (63.1) | 1.4 ± 2.1 | 5.1 ± 3.8 | 3.7 |
| Cheese (n = 2862) | 1.7 ± 4.2 | 305 (10.6) | 1.0 ± 3.2 | 8.1 ± 6.4 | 7.1‡ |
| Yogourt (n = 1003) | 9.9 ± 4.8 | 740 (73.8) | 4.0 ± 1.9 | 12.0 ± 3.6 | 8.0‡ |
| Protein foods (n = 4989) | 2.7 ± 6.4 | 2826 (56.6) | 2.1 ± 4.2 | 3.2 ± 7.6 | 1.1‡ |
| Red meat, poultry (n = 497) | 2.1 ± 3.0 | 339 (68.2) | 0.6 ± 1.1 | 2.8 ± 3.3 | 2.2‡ |
| Fish, seafood (n = 645) | 1.3 ± 4.4 | 283 (43.9) | 0.1 ± 0.6 | 2.8 ± 6.3 | 2.7‡ |
| Cured meats (n = 2123) | 1.5 ± 4.6 | 1804 (85.0) | 0.7 ± 5.7 | 1.7 ± 4.4 | 1.0† |
| Canned fish/meats (n = 456) | 0.9 ± 2.6 | 139 (30.5) | 0.1 ± 0.6 | 2.7 ± 4.1 | 2.5‡ |
| Plant-based protein foods (n = 1268)§ | 6.3 ± 9.6 | 261 (20.6) | 4.0 ± 4.5 | 15.0 ± 16.6 | 10.9‡ |
| Mixed dishes (n = 3989) | 3.5 ± 4.5 | 3023 (75.8) | 1.8 ± 3.7 | 4.1 ± 4.6 | 2.3‡ |
| Soups (n = 896) | 4.5 ± 6.2 | 701 (78.2) | 2.1 ± 5.5 | 5.1 ± 6.3 | 3.0‡ |
| Pizza (n = 327) | 3.1 ± 1.7 | 322 (98.5) | 2.4 ± 0.3 | 3.1 ± 1.7 | 0.6 |
| Mexican (n = 41) | 2.1 ± 1.2 | 31 (75.6) | 1.0 ± 0.7 | 2.5 ± 1.1 | 1.5 |
| Frozen dinners/entrees (n = 823) | 2.8 ± 3.0 | 611 (74.2) | 1.6 ± 1.6 | 3.3 ± 3.2 | 1.7‡ |
| Other (n = 1902) | 3.5 ± 4.4 | 1358 (71.4) | 1.8 ± 3.6 | 4.2 ± 4.5 | 2.4‡ |
| Grains (n = 2364) | 7.5 ± 10.9 | 899 (38.0) | 1.6 ± 3.1 | 17.1 ± 12.2 | 15.5‡ |
| Cereals (n = 719)¶ | 19.7 ± 12.2 | 616 (85.7) | 2.0 ± 4.4 | 22.7 ± 10.4 | 20.7‡ |
| Other (n = 1645)** | 2.1 ± 3.4 | 283 (17.2) | 1.6 ± 2.9 | 4.8 ± 4.4 | 3.2‡ |
| Bread products†† (n = 2093) | 3.8 ± 4.4 | 1478 (70.6) | 1.6 ± 2.8 | 4.7 ± 4.6 | 3.1‡ |
| Snacks and sweets (n = 12 534) | 27.4 ± 22.1 | 10 780 (86.0) | 3.0 ± 8.3 | 31.4 ± 21.1 | 28.4‡ |
| Savory snacks (n = 2716) | 6.2 ± 11.0 | 1453 (53.5) | 2.5 ± 7.8 | 9.4 ± 12.2 | 6.9‡ |
| Crackers (n = 849) | 6.4 ± 8.2 | 585 (68.9) | 1.7 ± 3.0 | 8.5 ± 8.9 | 6.8‡ |
| Snack/meal bars (n = 338) | 31.4 ± 9.3 | 336 (99.4) | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 31.6 ± 9.0 | 31.6 |
| Sweet bakery products (n = 3575) | 29.4 ± 13.2 | 3493 (97.7) | 4.1 ± 7.5 | 30.0 ± 12.7 | 25.9‡ |
| Candy (n = 3468) | 51.7 ± 17.7 | 3384 (97.6) | 13.2 ± 17.7 | 52.7 ± 16.6 | 39.5† |
| Other (n = 1588) | 16.7 ± 10.4 | 1529 (96.3) | 3.6 ± 5.0 | 17.2 ± 10.3 | 13.6‡ |
| Beverages (n = 3161) | 12.5 ± 19.5 | 2487 (78.7) | 3.9 ± 7.5 | 14.8 ± 21.2 | 10.9‡ |
| Juice (n = 1748)‡‡ | 14.9 ± 19.4 | 1386 (79.3) | 6.9 ± 5.1 | 17.0 ± 21.1 | 10.2‡ |
| Pop/soda, iced teas (n = 845) | 8.2 ± 6.3 | 649 (76.8) | 0.2 ± 1.2 | 10.6 ± 5.0 | 10.4‡ |
| Sports drinks, energy drinks, flavoured water (n = 520) | 12.0 ± 30.6 | 406 (78.1) | 1.3 ± 2.8 | 15.1 ± 34.0 | 13.8‡ |
| Beverage mixes, crystals (n = 48)‡‡ | 6.8 ± 1.8 | 46 (95.8) | 3.2 ± 0.0 | 7.0 ± 1.6 | 3.8 |
| Condiments, sauces and spreads (n = 4149)§§ | 20.9 ± 25.9 | 3034 (73.1) | 3.4 ± 7.5 | 27.3 ± 27.2 | 23.9‡ |
| Baby food and cereals (n = 530) | 13.3 ± 13.6 | 253 (47.7) | 7.6 ± 9.4 | 19.5 ± 14.8 | 11.9‡ |
| Fruits and vegetables (n = 1605)¶¶ | 12.4 ± 19.3 | 559 (34.8) | 9.1 ± 17.3 | 18.5 ± 21.2 | 9.4‡ |
| Total (n = 40 829) | 14.1 ± 19.8 | 26 942 (66.0) | 3.0 ± 7.1 | 19.8 ± 21.6 | 16.8‡ |
Note: SD = standard deviation.
*Discrepancies are due to rounding.
†p ≤ 0.01.
‡p ≤ 0.001.
§Includes beans, peas, legumes, nuts, seeds and processed soy products.
¶Includes all hot and cold cereals.
**Includes products such as pasta and rice.
††Includes all varieties of bread products such as rolls, wraps and pita.
‡‡Values based on beverages as prepared.
§§Includes a wide variety of products such as jams, syrups, toppings, honey, gravy and salsa.
¶¶Includes only packaged or processed fruit and vegetable products such as canned fruits and vegetables, dried packaged fruits and applesauce-type fruit snacks.