Hidden Sugars

Free sugars hide behind many names.

An ingredient does not need to be called 'sugar' to act like sugar in your body.

Why this matters

Products labelled 'natural', 'fit' or 'healthy' often use ingredients that behave like sugar while avoiding the word. Free sugars contribute to excess energy intake without providing specific nutrients. WHO recommends keeping free sugar intake below 10% of total daily energy — ideally below 5%.

What BOTIA looks for

BOTIA detects ingredients classified as free sugars under WHO criteria: added mono- and disaccharides, plus sugars naturally present in honey, syrups and fruit juice concentrates. It also flags rapidly digestible carbohydrates such as maltodextrin, dextrin and hydrolysed starch. These are polysaccharides, not free sugars under the WHO definition — but they behave similarly once digested, and they often appear where sugar is being avoided by name.

WHO free sugar categories

Simple added sugars Glucose, fructose, sucrose, dextrose Syrups Glucose syrup, corn syrup, HFCS Rapidly digestible carbohydrates Maltodextrin, dextrin, hydrolysed starch — not a WHO free sugar category Fruit juice concentrates Concentrated fruit juice as sweetener

BOTIA CAN

  • Detect ingredients classified as free sugars under WHO criteria.
  • Flag rapidly digestible carbohydrates that behave like sugar without being classified as one.
  • Signal when a product marketed as healthy contains either group.

BOTIA CANNOT

  • Tell you the total sugar or carbohydrate content — check the nutrition label.
  • Determine whether this product suits your diet or will spike your blood sugar.
  • Replace medical or nutritional advice.

To assess total intake, check the nutrition label under 'Carbohydrates — of which sugars'.

Sources: WHO Sugars Guideline (2015) · EFSA Dietary Sugars (2022)

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