Sugar Powder | whatsinit

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Sugar powder (also called icing or confectioners' sugar) is finely milled sucrose, sometimes blended with a small amount of anti-caking starch, used as a sweetener, texturizer, and decorative finish in baked goods, confections, and icings. It is identical in chemical composition to table sugar (sucrose) and is classified as a basic food ingredient rather than a food additive in all major jurisdictions.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

Sugar powder carries no direct toxicological hazard and is classified GRAS by the US FDA; no Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) has been established because it is a conventional food, not an additive. However, WHO and EFSA consistently link excessive added-sugar intake to obesity, type 2 diabetes, dental caries, and cardiovascular disease, and WHO recommends limiting free sugars to less than 10% of total daily energy intake. Diabetics, children, and individuals with cardiovascular or metabolic conditions are particularly advised to moderate consumption.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand) (Australia)	Approved	Sugar (sucrose) is permitted as a general food ingredient under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code; no additive-specific limits apply.source
Health Canada (Canada)	Approved	Sucrose is a conventional food ingredient in Canada and not subject to food-additive-specific pre-market approval; Health Canada's dietary guidance recommends limiting added sugars.source
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Approved	Monosaccharides and disaccharides (including sucrose/sugar) are explicitly listed as substances NOT considered sweeteners or food additives under EU Regulation EC No 1333/2008 on food additives; sugar is regulated as a basic food ingredient. EFSA is assessing dietary reference values for added sugars to inform future guidance.source
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India)	Approved	Regulated under FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, Chapter 2.8 (Sweetening Agents). Must be a white powder, free from dust or extraneous matter, with sucrose content not less than 99.0% on dry basis. Edible starch, if added as anti-caking agent, must be uniformly distributed.source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Diabetes — Sucrose is rapidly hydrolysed to glucose and fructose in the gut, causing acute blood glucose elevation; people with diabetes or pre-diabetes should strictly limit intake per WHO and clinical dietary guidance.

Children — WHO and dental health authorities recommend limiting added sugars in children's diets to reduce the risk of dental caries and early-onset obesity and metabolic disease.

Heart Disease — EFSA's 2022 review documents associations between high added-sugar intake and adverse cardiovascular outcomes including dyslipidaemia, hypertension, and increased cardiovascular risk.

Hypertension — High added-sugar consumption is linked to elevated blood pressure and endothelial dysfunction per EFSA dietary reference reviews on carbohydrate and sugar intake.

Infants — WHO and FSSAI regulations prohibit or strongly discourage adding sugars to foods intended for infants under 12 months, as added sugars provide no nutritional benefit and promote early taste conditioning for sweetness.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1FDA. 21 CFR §184.1854 – Sucrose (GRAS Affirmation). ecfr.gov
2other. FAO/WHO Codex GSFA Online – Food Category 11.1.2: Powdered Sugar, Powdered Dextrose. fao.org
3EFSA. Dietary Reference Values for Carbohydrates: Sugars — Scientific Opinion of the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA), 2022. efsa.europa.eu
4WHO. WHO Guideline: Sugars Intake for Adults and Children, 2015. who.int
5FSSAI. Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 – Chapter 2.8: Sweetening Agents Including Honey, 2011. fssai.gov.in

Independently researched5 citations