These 10 Products Contain Artificial Sweeteners (You Might Be Surprised!)
Inside: Trying to eat less sugar but want to avoid artificial sweeteners? Look out! Here are 10 surprising foods with artificial sweeteners.
I wrote a shorter version of this for the WebMD Food and Fitness Blog.
If you’ve ever bought a “low sugar” instant oatmeal or “less sugar” soda in hopes of simply cutting back on sugar, you may have made a disappointing discovery: Many of these products also contain no- and low-cal sweeteners like sucralose and stevia.
Why? Manufacturers use this combo to cut back on the total sugar but keep the sweet flavor while masking the bitter aftertaste that a lot of sugar substitutes can have.
Sales of foods and drinks like this are increasing, according to a recent study. Between 2002 and 2018, sales of products sweetened with both regular sweeteners and sugar substitutes rose 30 percent!
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Beverages are the most common item people buy that’s made with both regular and non-nutritive sweeteners, but this duo is in a lot of other products too.
And in most cases, you really have to read the fine print on the ingredient list to know which product have artificial sweeteners.
So if you’re not a fan of these sweeteners, here are 10 products to watch out for:
10 Drinks & Foods With Artificial Sweeteners
1. BREAD
Some bread can have nearly a teaspoon of added sugar per slice, so a low- or no-sugar bread would be great, right? Alas, this one contains sucralose.
2. CANNED FRUIT
“No sugar added” makes it sound like it’s all fruit in there, but the peaches are actually sweetened with sucralose.
3. CHOCOLATE SYRUP
It’s labeled “50% less sugar” than regular Hershey’s syrup, but that’s because they include an artificial sweetener called acesulfame potassium.
4. BREAKFAST DRINK
This Carnation drink is labeled “80% less sugars” because it’s sweetened with sucralose. (It also contains inulin, which can cause gas and bloating in some people–read Is This Ingredient Giving You Gas?)
5. DRIED FRUIT
Dried cranberries typically contain a lot of added sugar. This one has 50% less–because they use sucralose.
6. OATMEAL
Instant, flavored oatmeal is another product that can be heavy on added sugar. Wouldn’t it be lovely to have an instant, lightly-sweetened version? This one is indeed “lower sugar”–because they added sucralose. Here’s how to make your own instant oatmeal packets.
7. YOGURT
This yogurt drink is labeled “no sugar added–pretty sweet, huh? That’s because it’s made with two low- and no-cal sweeteners.
8. HOT COCOA
This Swiss Miss “Sensible Sweets” cocoa uses two sugar substitutes.
9. SPORTS DRINKS
I am not a big fan of sports drinks for most kids. This one use two kinds of artificial sweeteners. (Here’s how to make your own homemade sports drink.)
10. JUICE
“No sugar added” may sound like this juice is all fruit, but it has two sweeteners in it.
What are these sweeteners?
Sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame are intensely sweet but have either no calories or very few. They’re sometimes referred to as “artificial” sweeteners, but since some (like stevia) come from a plant source, that’s not entirely accurate. So they’re often called “non-nutritive” sweeteners instead.
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Are these sweeteners safe?
There’s no doubt that non-nutritive sweeteners are controversial. The FDA says they’re safe, yet the internet is full of scary claims and personal anecdotes. It doesn’t help that the scientific evidence is confusing too. Some studies have linked them to increased risk for overweight and type 2 diabetes, while other studies have found the opposite.
The World Health Organization recently advised people against using them for weight control, saying that there isn’t enough evidence that they help people lose weight–and that the sweeteners may up the risk for Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
What about the personal stories swirling around these sweeteners? If you have negative reactions like headaches or bloating after consuming them, it makes sense to avoid something that doesn’t agree with you.
My two-cents as a dietitian
As a dietitian, I believe non-nutritive sweeteners can be useful to some people–for example, those with diabetes who need help with blood sugar control but don’t want to give up soda. If you’re looking to them for weight loss, it’s less clear whether they’re helpful or not.
Since I don’t like the taste of most of them, I try to avoid foods with artificial sweeteners (and no-calorie sweeteners) when I can.
I also wish food manufacturers would reduce the sugar in their products by simply making them less sweet–not adding these sweeteners.
ugh i was so bummed when i discovered the craisins thing a couple years ago. why can’t they just use less sugar?
I know! That one is really disappointing. Over-sweetened dried fruit is a bummer because fruit is so sweet to begin with–and even though cranberries are obviously tart, a little more tartness with the sweetness wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Amen to that!!! My daughter loves dried cranberries, but I can’t, in good conscience, buy them as more than an occasional treat. We use 1/4 the amount of sugar recommended when we make cranberry sauce and even the kids love the tartness that comes through when it’s not shrouded in added sugar. If anyone sold dried cranberries with no added sugar, I’d buy them in a heart beat to add in homemade trail mixes.
Check out most of Thomas’ English muffins! Sucralose in there too. I’m not afraid of a little sucralose, but it’s the fact that most people simply wouldn’t notice that bugs me..
Yes! I should’ve included those. The issue with me is that not only do I want to avoid these but I hate the taste–and I can immediately taste if something is artificially sweetened. Blech. And like you said, most people wouldn’t realize it’s in there. I wish when something used artificial sweeteners, it was evident from the front of the package.
I was going to add these to the list. I, too, wish it were obvious when foods are artificially sweetened.
I’m a Dietitian too, and wonder what can be done at least from a labeling standpoint? Because I’m finding sucralose as a last ingredient in foods that are not even labeled as “light” or no sugar added. Adding a super-sweet end note may be good for sales, but not for the general public, and especially our American kids. Childhood obesity is on the rise and training tastebuds to crave more sweetness and consume more carbs can only add to that problem problem. To say nothing of the artificial nature of it all. Our food supply should be trying to become more simple and natural, as many consumers now demand. Do we know how dietitians can band together on this issue to affect change?
I very much agree that I don’t like to seeing foods given an extra shot of sweetness with these non-nutritive sweeteners–and that ideally we’d be training our taste buds to prefer less sweet foods and drinks overall. I’m sure the problem is that consumers, on the whole, prefer sweeter (or saltier, in other cases) foods. I’ll be curious to see, for instance, how the new less-sweet yogurts do and whether they last. I know when companies have tried to lower sodium in canned soups, it hasn’t gone over well.
My experience has been that “No Sugar Added” is code for “Contains artificial sweeteners”. I’ve come across it so many times, I don’t buy things labeled as “No Sugar Added”.
I’ve noticed more products are using stevia. How do you feel about this non-nutritive sweetener? Do you consider it to be more natural than the others?
Hi Laura–I like that stevia comes from an herb (I actually grew it in my garden one summer!) though of course the herb in its natural state isn’t added directly to foods and it does undergo processing to become a food ingredient. Here’s some info about it from the CSPI, who say it’s probably safe but should be better tested: https://cspinet.org/new/201312311.html Personally, I just don’t like the taste of Stevia so I avoid it too.
LOVE THIS POST! Man they hide that stuff everywhere, I always coach my clients you have to read every single ingredient list every time!
Kemp’s family size pail of ice cream all flavors, has sucralose listed in the ingredients no mention of low sugar or lite on package
Great article! Thanks for the information
I have previously noted sucralose in those thin sandwich rounds. I was never really interested in them and when MIL had them at home I just happened to look at ingredients and there it was. Browsing in the store it seems all brands add it (or all carried at that store). I have also found in fruit nectars that I was considering for toddler constipation but all varieties I found contained sucralose.
Pepperidge Farm whole wheat cinnamon swirl breads are now made with sucralose too 🙁
Ugh, bummer. Another one to add to the list! 🙁
Are there any sweeteners you WOULD recommend? Or just stick to good old sugar?
Hi Becky–I think it depends on what your goals are. People who diabetes may find artificially sweetened products helpful. For those who want to avoid them, whether because of wanting to avoid artificial ingredients in general or because of flavor, I wanted to give people the heads-up on where they might be “hiding” on the food label (not on the front package).
You mention the Sensible Sweets Swiss Miss mix — but just about ALL Swiss Miss now contains sucralose, including those not labeled as “light” or “lower sugar.” Yech.
Thomas’ Whole Wheat English Muffins have sucralose in them now. So disappointed because I was looking for a healthier alternative for breakfast.
Oh bummer! I didn’t know about that one. I almost bought those recently.
I havent bought these in years and decided to buy a pack the other day I bought the 100 calorie ones that had no sucralose in them but tasted like nothing. And the whole wheat ones for my son that have sucralose in them! I was so disappointed as well since this is not a sugary product! Why cant they use honey??
hi sally im not sure if this is still current , ive recently kicked sugar into touch ,still get cravings so today purchased Splenda (contains sucralose ) its got a handy recipe for blueberry muffins on the back which i cant wait to give a go !
People, sucralose is not essentially bad for you. You’ll have to take massive amounts before it can do any damage. So it does harm the body, it’s from excessive intake, and the amount of food we take in is our responsibility. Do some research before dismissing anything. I recommend watching That Sugar Film to know which sugars are harmful and which are actually helpful, and how much the body is allowed to take.
You can also want to avoid non-nutritive sweeteners because of the flavor–for some people, like me, they leave a bitter aftertaste and are overly sweet. That’s a large part of why I seek to avoid them.
I just ran across a person posting that sucralose triggered migraine headaches. Don’t have them myself so can’t prove or disprove, since everyone is different. Just saying.
This comment didn’t age well.
I’m highly allergic to artificial sweeteners, and try very hard to avoid them. There are so many different ones in food, not all are labeled as such. Please tell me the names of hidden sweeteners so I can avoid them. It’s really disgusting that manufacturers can’t be honest and upfront. Thank you.
Hi Ali–The main artificial sweeteners to watch for are sucralose, acesulfame potassium, and saccharin.
Maybe share the items that have it that are not marketed as lite, sugar free, zero sugar or diet….Like full sugar gum, mints, coated OTC tablets like dulcolax, and recently discovered to my dismay Astepro Nasal Allergy Spray.
Interesting! Those are great additions to the list.