THE ACTUAL GUESSWORK
The sweetener index.
“Zero sugar” never means “sweetened by nothing”. This is what the ingredient lists actually say — what each sweetener is, what it contributes, and which products on the shelf use it. Label facts only: we don't rank sweeteners and we don't make health claims.
Aspartame
INS 951High-intensity~4 kcal/gAbout 200× sweeter than sugar, so the quantity used contributes ~0 kcal. Breaks down when heated — that's why it lives in drinks, not bakes. Packs carry a printed phenylalanine advisory (relevant to people with PKU).
ON THE SHELF: Diet Coke · 7UP Zero Sugar · Orbit Sugar-Free Gum
Acesulfame potassium
INS 950High-intensity~0 kcal/gUsually blended with aspartame or sucralose — the blend covers each sweetener's aftertaste. Heat-stable, not metabolised for energy.
ON THE SHELF: Coca-Cola Zero Sugar · Diet Coke · Pepsi Black · Monster Ultra · Chilsung Cider Zero · Hershey's Sugar Free Syrup · Thums Up X Force · 7UP Zero Sugar · Orbit Sugar-Free Gum
Sucralose
INS 955High-intensity~0 kcal/gMade by modifying sugar; roughly 600× sweeter. Heat-stable, so it shows up in snacks and bakes as well as drinks.
ON THE SHELF: Coca-Cola Zero Sugar · Pepsi Black · Monster Ultra · Chilsung Cider Zero · Walden Farms Ketchup · Hershey's Sugar Free Syrup · Thums Up X Force · 7UP Zero Sugar · Aquatein Protein Water
Steviol glycosides (stevia)
INS 960Plant-derived~0 kcal/gExtracted from the stevia leaf. The only widely-used plant-derived high-intensity sweetener; can carry a slight liquorice aftertaste that brands mask with blends.
ON THE SHELF: NOTO Ice Cream
Erythritol
INS 968Polyol (sugar alcohol)~0.2 kcal/gA polyol at ~0.2 kcal/g — close enough to zero that labels round it down. Mostly absorbed and excreted unchanged, so it's the polyol least associated with the standard laxative-effect warning.
ON THE SHELF: Milkis Zero · Hershey's Sugar Free Syrup · NOTO Ice Cream · Get-A-Whey Ice Cream
Maltitol
INS 965Polyol (sugar alcohol)~2.4 kcal/gThe important one to spot: ~2.4 kcal/g, so "sugar-free" maltitol chocolate is not calorie-free. Regulations require the standard polyol warning — "excessive consumption may have a laxative effect" — printed on the pack.
ON THE SHELF: Amul Sugar Free Dark Chocolate · Lotte ZERO Choco Ball · Go Zero Ice Cream · SuperYou Protein Wafer
Sorbitol
INS 420Polyol (sugar alcohol)~2.6 kcal/gA polyol at ~2.6 kcal/g, common in sugar-free gum and candy. Carries the same printed polyol laxative-effect warning as maltitol.
ON THE SHELF: Orbit Sugar-Free Gum
Xylitol
INS 967Polyol (sugar alcohol)~2.4 kcal/gA polyol at ~2.4 kcal/g, the classic gum sweetener. Toxic to dogs — a fact printed on many gum packs. Same polyol warning applies at high intakes.
ON THE SHELF: Orbit Sugar-Free Gum · Happydent Wave Xylitol
Isomalt
INS 953Polyol (sugar alcohol)~2 kcal/gA polyol at ~2 kcal/g, used mainly in hard candy and coatings. Same printed polyol warning as the rest of the family.
Allulose
D-psicosePlant-derived~0.4 kcal/gA "rare sugar" — chemically a sugar, but barely metabolised, so ~0.4 kcal/g and tastes like the real thing. The backbone of Korea's zero shelf (Chilsung Cider Zero, Milkis Zero); not yet common in Indian-made products.
ON THE SHELF: Chilsung Cider Zero · Milkis Zero
Saccharin
INS 954High-intensity~0 kcal/gThe oldest artificial sweetener, ~300× sweeter than sugar. Less common in new launches; still appears in some Indian tabletop and legacy products.
Energy values are approximate regulatory figures per gram of the sweetener itself. High-intensity sweeteners are used in such small quantities that their calorie contribution rounds to zero; polyols are used gram-for-gram like sugar, which is why their calories show up on the nutrition label. Sweetener lists come from printed ingredient panels or the sources named on each product page.