My diet:

Sucrose (table sugar)

No E-numberSweetenersOrigin: Plant
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Every diet

VeganDepends

Some US cane sugar is filtered through bone char. Beet sugar and bone-char-free cane sugar are not.

Gluten-freeYes
HalalDepends

A few halal certifiers reject cane sugar filtered on bone char.

KosherYes
KetoNo

Sucrose is table sugar, so it is not keto.

Low-FODMAPYes
The short answer
Sucrose is ordinary table sugar from cane or beet. It is safe as a food and it raises blood sugar, so it lands in the moderation band. Vegans should know that some American cane sugar is filtered with bone char.
Use in moderation

Safe in small amounts; may bother some people or raise blood sugar.

E-numberNone
Comes fromPlant
What it doesSweeteners
Glycemic index65
Daily limitNot set
Also calledSucrose, Table sugar

Rules by country

🇺🇸 US FDAApproved
🇪🇺 European UnionNot evaluated as an additive
🇨🇦 Health CanadaNot evaluated as an additive
CaliforniaNo extra rules

Sucrose is treated as a food, not as a food additive that needs an E number. The FDA lists it as GRAS. Europe and Canada regulate it as sugar, which is why those columns say it was not evaluated as an additive.

Daily limit: Experts haven’t set a number because normal food amounts are far below any level of concern.

What is it?

Sucrose is a double sugar of glucose plus fructose. Refined white sugar is almost pure sucrose. It sweetens, browns and preserves, and it is the reference point other sweeteners are compared with.

Where it comes from: Sucrose is the sugar crystals pressed and refined from sugar cane or sugar beet. In the US, some cane refineries still filter the syrup through bone char; beet sugar does not.

Why it’s in food

  • Sweetens drinks and doughs
  • Browns baked crusts
  • Preserves jams
  • Feeds yeast

Often found in

Table sugarSoft drinksCookiesJamBreakfast cerealSauces

Also listed as: Sucrose, Table sugar, White sugar, Granulated sugar, Cane sugar, Beet sugar

Health & gut impact

Blood sugarConcern

Sucrose has a glycemic index around 65, so it raises blood glucose faster than many starches people think of as the problem.

Atkinson, Foster-Powell and Brand-Miller, glycemic index tables

TeethConcern

Bacteria on teeth ferment sucrose into acid, which is the usual route to cavities.

WHO guideline on sugars intake (2015)

If you are swapping the spoonful

For your pantry
Pantry staple

Beet sugar

A vegan white sugar, because beet refineries do not use bone char.

Shop beet sugar Opens your country’s Amazon store
Pantry staple

Allulose

A rare sugar that bakes and browns with little blood-sugar rise.

Shop allulose Opens your country’s Amazon store
Pantry staple

Stevia extract

A non-sugar sweetener for drinks. It does not brown like sugar.

Shop stevia Opens your country’s Amazon store

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What can I use instead?

Allulose

Ratio: About 1:1 by sweetness

Best for: Baking with fewer blood-sugar effects

Stevia

Ratio: A pinch replaces a spoon

Best for: Drinks

Related

More sweeteners:

Acesulfame Potassium (Ace-K) E950Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K, E950) is a zero-calorie sweetener approved in the US, EU and Canada. EFSA re-checked it in 2025 and raised its daily limit. It's usually paired with sucralose or aspartame to hide a slightly bitter aftertaste.Use in moderationAdvantame E969Advantame (E969) is an extremely intense sweetener related to aspartame. Regulators approve it, and the amount in a food is tiny next to the daily limit. It does not carry aspartame's phenylalanine warning at normal use.Generally safeAlluloseAllulose is a "rare sugar" that tastes like sugar but has almost no calories and doesn't raise blood sugar. It's keto-friendly and browns like real sugar in baking.Generally safeAspartame E951Aspartame (E951) is a zero-calorie sweetener in diet soda. It's approved, but WHO's cancer agency called it "possibly carcinogenic" in 2023, and people with PKU must avoid it.Use in moderation

Common questions

Is white sugar vegan?

Beet sugar is. Some cane sugar in the US is filtered through burned animal bone. The bone char does not stay in the sugar, but many vegans still avoid that process.

Is Sucrose safe?

Use in moderation (58/100). Sucrose is treated as a food, not as a food additive that needs an E number. The FDA lists it as GRAS. Europe and Canada regulate it as sugar, which is why those columns say it was not evaluated as an additive.

Is Sucrose vegan?

Depends. Some US cane sugar is filtered through bone char. Beet sugar and bone-char-free cane sugar are not.

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Scientific sources & regulatory citations
  • 21 CFR 184.1854 (US FDA)
  • Atkinson, Foster-Powell and Brand-Miller, glycemic index tables
  • WHO guideline on sugars intake (2015)

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