Are Tic Tacs Sugar-Free?

The Nutrition Facts label on every box of Tic Tacs tells consumers that each little mint contains zero grams of sugar. However, this doesn’t mean that each 1.9-calorie mint is actually sugar-free. In fact, a Tic Tac is more than 94 percent sugar. So how has Ferrero SpA, the manufacturer of Tic Tacs since 1969, pulled off such a feat of seemingly contradictory labeling? According to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules, if a food item contains less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving, then the manufacturer is free to state that there is zero sugar per serving. In this case, the stated serving size is one Tic Tac, which weighs in at a very acceptable 0.49 g.

But do you ever eat just one?

• Tic Tacs got their name from the sound that the iconic plastic box makes when the mints rattle around inside it.
• Forty-five percent of the world’s Tic Tacs are made in Cork, Ireland. The mints are also manufactured in Australia, Canada, India, and Ecuador.
• A regular box of Tic Tacs contains about 38 mints. In addition to sugar, the ingredients include maltodextrin, tartaric acid, rice starch, and gum arabic -- plus artificial flavors and colors.