More than one group publishes a daily sugar limit. WHO, the AHA and the FDA do not all use the same number of grams. USDA lists a whole egg at 0.2 g of sugars in every 100 g.1 That is almost no sugar in an egg. On the table, sugar is listed separately from protein and fat. A sweeter food shows a bigger number there.
WHO, the AHA and the FDA each set their own limit
WHO's healthy diet page says free sugars should stay under 10% of the energy you eat in a day. On about 2,000 kcal, that is 50 g, or about 12 level teaspoons. The same page also describes a tighter share, about 25 g. The American Heart Association puts added sugar at 36 g a day for men and 25 g for women. A US food label uses 50 g of added sugar on a 2,000 kcal day.2 The NHS says an adult should stay at no more than 30 g of free sugars a day. It also says those free sugars should stay within 5% of the energy you eat.
Total sugars and added sugars are not always the same. Total sugars can include sugar that was already in the milk or the fruit. Added sugar is what the maker put in, when the label says so. If you can see only one sugar number, then refer to that one.
A drink with 0 added sugar
To see how a drink fits those daily limits, look at the added sugar on the drink. A Horlicks Protein milkshake lists 0 added sugar in 240 ml, so it adds nothing to the 50 g, the 30 g, or the 25 g. The same bottle lists 171 kcal, which is the energy of the whole drink. The Horlicks Protein powder is a different pack. A 36 g sachet lists 24 g of protein and 4 g of prebiotic fibre, and you stir it into 200 ml of cold water or milk. Any sugar in that glass is the same as the sugar printed on the milk you used.
Sugar in an egg and in a sweet packet
One large egg is about 0.1 g of sugars, only a trace. A packet with 8 g of added sugar is the sugar in that snack. A second packet makes 16 g. A bottle can list 0 added sugar and still list 171 kcal. Those kilocalories belong to the whole drink. A biscuit at 8 g of added sugar still adds its 8 g, and the bottle adds none to the sugar count. One packet at 8 g of added sugar uses 8 g of a 50 g day. Two packets use 16 g of that 50 g day.
To conclude, there is more than one daily amount of sugar. WHO, the Heart Association and a US label each give their own. On about 2,000 kcal, WHO's main figure is 50 g, and it also describes a lower one near 25 g. The Heart Association says 36 g of added sugar a day for men and 25 g for women. A US label uses 50 g. For an adult, the NHS says no more than 30 g of free sugars a day. Whichever figure you use, add the grams printed on the packet. A Horlicks Protein milkshake lists 0 added sugar, so it adds no sugar to the daily amount.
Sources
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USDA FoodData Central. Eggs, Grade A, Large, egg whole. FDC 748967.
View USDA FoodData Central. -
World Health Organization. Healthy diet.
View World Health Organization. -
NHS. Sugar: the facts.
View NHS.