When Maria Hernandez shops for yogurt in a supermarket in Columbus, Ohio, she pauses at the nutrition label—especially the line that now reads 'Added Sugars: 12g.' That simple number, required on U.S. food packages since 2021, is quietly changing what ends up in shopping carts across the country. A new study from Penn State shows that clear labeling of added sugar has reduced consumer demand for sugary yogurts and cookies, two very different foods that now share a common trend: people are buying less of the high-sugar versions.
Before 2020, food labels only showed total sugar, making it hard to tell if sweetness came from fruit or from added syrups and sugars. Now, thanks to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration rule, large manufacturers had to list added sugar by 2020 and small ones by 2021. This small change is having a real impact. Researchers analyzed six years of national sales data—covering 312 yogurt products from seven major brands and 430 cookie products from 15 brands—and found that once the labels changed, shoppers consistently avoided items with high added sugar.
The study, published in the journal Agribusiness, used NielsenIQ Retail Scanner Data from 3,528 markets. It found that without the new labels, sugar consumption from yogurt would have been 4% higher and from cookies 11% higher. That’s not just a shift in shopping habits—it’s a meaningful drop in daily sugar intake, which matters because added sugar, unlike natural sugar in fruits or milk, is linked to obesity, heart disease, and weaker overall nutrition.
"Giving people clearer information about added sugar can change purchasing decisions, and it also means policymakers may have more targeted options," said Yizao Liu, associate professor of agricultural economics at Penn State and co-author of the study. Her team also modeled what would happen if a tax were applied only to added sugar. They found such a tax could reduce sugar consumption just as effectively as a broad sugar tax, but with a bonus: it encourages companies to reformulate products instead of just making people buy less.
This isn’t just about avoiding dessert. Added sugar hides in bread, sauces, and even so-called 'healthy' yogurts. By shining a light on it, labels empower shoppers to make better choices. The study focused on yogurt and cookies, but the ripple effects could be wider. If food makers see declining sales of high-sugar items, they may start reducing sugar to keep customers.
As labels continue to evolve, so might our diets. The next step? Watching how companies respond—and whether clearer information leads to sweeter health outcomes.