What it is
Added sugar is any sugar introduced during processing or preparation — table sugar, syrups, honey in the granola, the sweetener in the sauce. Chemically it's the same molecule as fruit sugar; nutritionally it arrives naked: no fiber, no micronutrients, no satiety to speak of.
How much
Major guidelines converge on keeping added sugar under about 10% of daily calories — roughly 50 g on a 2000 kcal day, with several bodies recommending half that as a stretch goal. Your automatic goal treats it as a ceiling: a number to stay under, not to hit.
How well it's tracked
Honestly: partially. Added sugar is a newer label field, and plenty of foods — especially generic and international ones — simply don't report it. A blank isn't a zero; your added-sugar total is best read as a floor on the truth. Packaged foods logged by barcode or label carry it most reliably.
Too much
Consistently high added sugar means calories that don't feed fullness — the easiest way to overshoot a budget without ever feeling fed — plus the dental and metabolic costs that made the guidelines exist.
Food sources
Sweetened drinks are the heavyweight, followed by desserts, candy, breakfast cereals, flavored yogurts, and sauces — ketchup and dressings hide more than people expect.
In the app
Its card lives in Insights' nutrition section; top contributors is particularly satisfying here, and the ceiling is adjustable if you're working to a stricter number.