How much sugar is in Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa (40g serving)? Each serving (40g) contains 3.5g of sugar, 240 kcal and 12.5g of saturated fat. At 3.5g of sugar it is one of the lower-sugar items in this guide.
Try it: nutrition calculator
Choose a brand, then an item, then how much you are eating. See sugar, saturated fat, calories and salt against daily limits for your age group.
Chocolate nutrition calculator
How much sugar is in that portion?
Choose a brand, then an item, then how much you are having. See sugar, saturated fat, calories and salt against daily limits for your age group.
Your portion--
Sugar
--
--
0--
--
Saturated fat
--
--
0--
--
Calories
--
--
0--
--
Salt
--
--
0--
--
Sugar
Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa (40g serving): 3.5g of sugar per 40g serving
Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa (40g serving) (40g) contains 3.5g of sugar, 12% of the adult daily free sugar limit of 30g, 15% of the limit for a child aged 7 to 10 (24g) and 18% of the limit for a child aged 4 to 6 (19g).
At 90% cocoa, Lindt Excellence 90% contains only 3.5g of sugar per 40g serving, less than 12% of the adult daily free sugar limit. Its 21g of fat, however, is almost entirely from cocoa butter, a saturated fat.
At 3.5g per serving, this is one of the lower-sugar items in this guide. However, sugar is not the only metric to consider: the saturated fat (12.5g) and calories (240 kcal) remain significant.
Sugar, salt and protein by age group
The table below shows how the sugar, salt and protein in Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa (40g serving) compares to daily guidelines for different age groups.
Sugar, salt and protein by age group: Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa (40g serving)
Age group
Sugar (g / % limit)
Salt (g / % limit)
Protein (g / % target)
Age 4 to 6
3.5g / 18%
0.01g / 0%
4.5g / 23%
Age 7 to 10
3.5g / 15%
0.01g / 0%
4.5g / 16%
Age 11 to 17
3.5g / 12%
0.01g / 0%
4.5g / 11%
Adult
3.5g / 12%
0.01g / 0%
4.5g / 9%
Sugar and salt % shown against NHS/SACN daily limits. Protein % shown against estimated daily targets. Red = 75%+ of limit, amber = 20-74%, green = under 20%.
Free sugar vs total sugar
The sugar figure on a chocolate bar label is total sugars. Understanding the difference between free sugar and total sugar matters for reading any nutrition label accurately.
Free sugar vs total sugar: what the label shows
The sugar figure on a chocolate bar label is total sugars. In most chocolate, this is almost entirely free sugar, because chocolate is made from added sugar rather than whole food ingredients that contain naturally occurring sugars. Unlike flavoured yoghurt, where lactose from dairy inflates the total sugars figure, or fruit juice, where the sugar was once bound inside whole fruit, the sugar in chocolate is added in its free form and counts in full against the NHS daily free sugar limit.
This is an important distinction from many other packaged foods. A yoghurt showing 14g of total sugars may contain only 8g of free sugar. A chocolate bar showing 27g of total sugars contains 27g of free sugar. The number on the label means what it says.
The daily free sugar limit is 30g for adults and children aged 11 and over, 24g for children aged 7 to 10, and 19g for children aged 4 to 6. A standard chocolate bar can represent a significant share of any of these limits in a single serving.
Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa (40g serving) contains 12.5g of saturated fat per serving (40g), 63% of the adult daily guideline of 20g, and 96% of the guideline for a child aged 7 to 10 (13g). This is high: the saturated fat in chocolate primarily comes from cocoa butter, a naturally saturated vegetable fat.
Ultra-processed food: what is really in it
Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa (40g serving) is made from 1 main component: dark chocolate (90% cocoa).
Reading the ingredient list closely, Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa (40g serving) contains emulsifiers and soya lecithin. These are not used to add nutritional value. Emulsifiers help fat and water-based ingredients blend together and stay mixed. Soya lecithin acts as an emulsifier in chocolate, keeping the cocoa butter and milk solids uniformly mixed.
None of this means the ingredients are unsafe. What it indicates is the degree of industrial formulation involved. A piece of good quality chocolate made at home or by an artisan would typically use cocoa mass, cocoa butter, sugar and milk, with few or no additional processing aids. Mass-market chocolate reaches a similar result using a longer ingredient list with additional vegetable fats, emulsifiers and flavourings designed to keep the product consistent and cost-effective at industrial scale.
Looking at the ingredient list rather than just the sugar and calorie figures reveals the additives and processing aids that give this product its consistent flavour and texture at industrial scale.
Processing (NOVA classification)
Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa (40g serving) falls into NOVA group 4, ultra-processed food. The NOVA classification system groups foods by the extent and purpose of the processing involved. Group 4 covers products that are formulated mostly or entirely from substances derived from foods, plus additives. In this item, that includes emulsifiers and soya lecithin. This classification applies to almost all mass-market chocolate and confectionery, regardless of the cocoa percentage or marketing claims.
Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa (40g serving) (40g) contains 3.5g of sugar, 12% of the adult daily free sugar limit of 30g.
Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa (40g serving) contains 240 kcal per 40g serving, 12% of the 2,000 kcal adult daily reference intake.
Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa (40g serving) contains 12.5g of saturated fat per serving, 63% of the adult daily guideline of 20g.
Yes. Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa (40g serving) falls into NOVA group 4, ultra-processed food, reflecting its use of emulsifiers and soya lecithin alongside the combination of refined ingredients and industrial processing methods involved in its manufacture.
Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa (40g serving) contains soya. May also contain traces of milk and nuts from shared production lines.
At 3.5g per 40g serving, Lindt Excellence 90% Cocoa (40g serving) is at the lower end for sugar in this guide, reflecting its higher cocoa content.
Track what you eat, including chocolate
See exactly what your family is eating, in real time.
The Boone app tracks sugar, calories, saturated fat, fibre, protein and 30 plus micronutrients in real time. Log meals by scanning food and see instantly how a biscuit snack compares to your child's daily limits, adjusted for their exact age and gender.
Download the Boone app and start tracking your family's nutrition today.
Nutrition information from manufacturer official sources and UK FoodData Central. Figures are per item or stated serving size and may vary slightly by recipe updates. Reference intakes: EU Reference Intakes for an average adult (2,000 kcal); NHS/SACN free sugar and saturated fat guidelines. For guidance only, not medical advice.
