Why does the nutrition panel show 52 g sugar and 0 g added sugar?

The 52 g is lactose, the sugar naturally present in milk. The 0.00 g added sugars line means no sugar was added during manufacture. Indian labelling rules show these as separate figures.

Is skimmed milk powder sweet?

Barely. Lactose is roughly a fifth as sweet as table sugar, so a powder that is half lactose by weight still tastes like milk rather than like something sweetened.

Can lactose intolerant people use it?

Skimmed milk powder is concentrated milk, so it contains the lactose that milk contains — more per 100 g than fresh milk, because the water has been removed. Anyone avoiding lactose should treat it as milk. This is a description of the product, not medical advice.

Why is there more sugar per 100 g than in fresh milk?

Fresh milk is about 91% water. Take the water out and everything left is concentrated — protein, lactose and minerals alike. Once the powder is mixed back with water the proportions return to those of milk.

Lactose

लैक्टोज़

52 g of sugar. 0 g of added sugar. Both are true.

The 52 g is lactose, the sugar naturally present in milk. The 0 g figure means no extra sugar was added.

Total sugar

52 g

per 100 g. All of it lactose, the sugar that was already in the milk.

Added sugars

0.00 g

per 100 g. Nothing sweet was put in — the ingredient line reads skimmed milk solid and nothing else.

Why the panel splits them

Indian labelling rules require total sugar and added sugar to be shown separately^[1]. This helps buyers distinguish the sugar already present in milk from sugar added during manufacture.

What lactose is

Lactose is the natural carbohydrate in milk. It is much less sweet than table sugar, so skimmed milk powder still tastes like milk, not like a sweetened product.

Milk powder absorbs moisture easily. That can cause caking and shorten its usable life, which is why it should be kept sealed, cool and dry, and handled with a dry spoon. The legal moisture limit is 5%^[2].

The concentration effect

Milk powder contains much less water than fresh milk, so protein, lactose and minerals look higher when listed per 100 g. A powder panel should therefore not be compared directly with a fresh-milk panel shown per 100 ml.

The arithmetic for that is on the cost per litre page.

Common questions

Why does the nutrition panel show 52 g sugar and 0 g added sugar?: The 52 g is lactose, the sugar naturally present in milk. The 0.00 g added sugars line means no sugar was added during manufacture. Indian labelling rules show these as separate figures.
Is skimmed milk powder sweet?: Barely. Lactose is roughly a fifth as sweet as table sugar, so a powder that is half lactose by weight still tastes like milk rather than like something sweetened.
Can lactose intolerant people use it?: Skimmed milk powder is concentrated milk, so it contains the lactose that milk contains — more per 100 g than fresh milk, because the water has been removed. Anyone avoiding lactose should treat it as milk. This is a description of the product, not medical advice.
Why is there more sugar per 100 g than in fresh milk?: Fresh milk is about 91% water. Take the water out and everything left is concentrated — protein, lactose and minerals alike. Once the powder is mixed back with water the proportions return to those of milk.

Product figures come from Shreman labels. Legal limits and test methods are linked below.

Reviewed by Shreman Team · last reviewed 20 August 2026

References

[1] Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Nutrition panel format, % RDA basis and the infant declaration.
[2] Standard for Milk Powders and Cream Powder (CXS 207-1999). Codex Alimentarius, FAO/WHO. Compositional limits for skimmed milk powder. Indian standards are aligned with this text.
[3] Shreman Special Skimmed Milk Powder — pack label. Durga Bhandar, Darbhanga. The nutrition panel, ingredient line, directions and warnings as printed on the Shreman Special pack.