How to Determine the Percentage of Sugar in a Product

You can calculate the percentage of sugar from the information listed on the food label.

You can determine the percentage of sugar contained in food by consulting the information available on its label. Under "carbohydrates," the amount of sugars is listed by weight, specifically grams. This listing encompasses all sugars -- including table sugar, fructose and glucose. To calculate the percentage, you would take this weight and divide it by the total weight of the serving size. Since this produces the proportion in decimal form, you have to multiply by 100 to convert into percentage format.

Instructions

1. Locate the weight of sugars contained in a serving of the food in question. This is located under "Carbohydrates" and is labeled "Sugars."

2. Find the total serving size weight, which is located on the top line of the food label, next to the total calories.

3. Divide the sugar weight by the total weight, and then multiply by 100 to produce the percentage of sugar in a product. As an example, if a 48 g serving of a product contains 12 g of sugar, then you would divide 12 by 48 and multiply by 100. This would tell you that 25 percent of the product weight is attributable to sugar.

References

• Richmond School District: Calculating Fat and Suger Content