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Stevia Gets U.S. FDA Approval?
By Tanya A. Crosby
December 21, 2008
As of last week, it seems companies producing zero-calorie products will have zero excuse to continue using synthetic sweeteners aspartame, saccharin and Splenda.
Following political pressure from industry giants Coca-Cola and Pepsi, The FDA gave a long-awaited nod to two stevia-based sweeteners developed by PepsiCo and the Coca-Cola Company. According to an article in the New York Times, the FDA now says they have “no objection to rebiana having GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status” as a general-purpose sweetener for food and beverages. It’s a huge switch in the FDA’s attitude. Previously, despite that Stevia is approved as a food additive in at least a dozen countries, including Japan and China, it could only be marketed in the U.S. as a supplement and was routinely suppressed by the FDA, reputedly because it threatened the profits of aspartame.
The two new stevia-based sweeteners, PureVia and Truvia should show up on the consumer shelves in early 2009. Both use rebiana or Reb A, an extract from a South American shrub called stevia. Stevia is said to be 150 to 400 times sweeter than sugar. See also Stevia on Wiipedia
While the FDA’s motives continue to be questionable, the benefit to the consumer is not: This turn in the Stevia tide will no doubt open the gates for stevia-sweetened products to flood the market. That’s excellent news for anyone seeking healthier, more organic products.
New products to look for with Stevia
- According to Reuters, Coca-Cola North America said Sprite Green is due to go on sale this month, and that it would be the first of what it expects to be many US products sweetened with Truvia.
- PepsiCo said its first US PureVia sweetened products would SoBe Lifewater in three different flavors.
One caveat: There is speculation that the patented stevia sweeteners being used by Coca-Cola and Pepsi are in some way “less natural.” Says one source, “Stevia was not approved as a food additive by U.S. regulators, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued letters to the companies on Wednesday saying it had no objections to their sweeteners, which are derived from the plant.” And reminds us to “… this is a combination of sweeteners and chemicals and not real stevia.”
According to an article by foodnavigator.com, “Peter Milsted, PureCircle sales and marketing director, stressed that it was important for PureCircle that FDA GRAS was for 95 percent purity because ‘it separates it completely from stevia extract, which doesn’t have that kind of purity level as Reb A.’”
We’ll keep you posted.
24 Responses for “Stevia Gets U.S. FDA Approval?”
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Stevia is great. I can’t STAND the taste of those phony sweeteners, but Stevia I can handle. I am glad it got FDA approval.
To me it is obvious that truly independent studies on the effects of stevia-DERIVED sweeteners are imperative in preventing slanted investigations from becoming public “knowledge”, as was the case with aspertame in the early 70′s. The combination of different chemical sweeteners inside one’s body without proper investigation could lead to a product even more harmful than aspertame.
The FDA should not allow the use of these sweeteners so hastily without proper testing. It troubles me that the same big companies that brought us diet sodas loaded with harmful aspertame, i.e. Coke and Pepsi, are so very eager to use stevia-DERIVED additives without proper investigation in the FDA.
THE FDA HAS DENIED STEVIA AS A VIABLE OPTION FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
And now they say, WITHOUT CONDUCTING ANY SORT OF INVESTIGATION ON THE PURITY OF STEVIA-DERIVITIVES , that they no longer feel it important to question the true safety of the product’s widespread consumption.
I SMELL SOMETHING FISHY and the only way to insure public safety is through strong PUBLIC litigation. The FDA has failed the public before, and, I believe, it’s the consumers’ responsibility to question the authority of FDA investigations in a pursuit of a sound truth.
THE FDA HAS DENIED STEVIA AS A VIABLE OPTION FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
And now they say, WITHOUT CONDUCTING ANY SORT OF INVESTIGATION ON THE PURITY OF STEVIA-DERIVITIVES , that they no longer feel it important to question the true safety of the product’s widespread consumption.
Thats a great one. Enjoyed reading it thanks.
Truvia is on the shelves. It is not reb A as you would expect. The main ingredient in Truvia is Erythritol. This is a sugar alcohol that has .2 calories per gram. The next ingredient is rebiana.
PureVia is also on the shelves. Guess what, main ingredient, Erythritol. while it contains rebiana it most certainly is not stevia based, it is Erythritol based.
Sugar alcohols have their own issues. If you consume more than 1 gram, it can wreak havoc on your gastro-intestinal tract.
That is really a good news.this is very interesting indeed.Would love to read a little more of this. Great post
i read your article and get information arround the us fda.
i think whenever any body read this hopefully those will be happy.thanks for giving the information.
Yeah I appreciate such nice post..
Thanks for sharing with us!
nice reading through this post. thank you.
I had said, I smell something fishy too. Where did my comment disappear?
– Mark
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The FDA should not allow the use of these sweeteners so hastily without proper testing. It troubles me that the same big companies that brought us diet sodas loaded with harmful aspertame, i.e. Coke and Pepsi, are so very eager to use stevia-DERIVED additives without proper investigation in the FDA.i read your article and get information arround the us fda.
LoL, I really love to drink Coke Zero but didn’t even know the effects to our body.
Stevia is great. It’s good to know FDA has approved it.I hate those fake sweeteners like saccharine which leave a odd after taste.
Stevia is best sweetner. I’m glad it is getting a real chance.
Oh, i see.. so PureVia and Truvia will also integrate as sweeteners.
I welcome Stevia with open arms. I’m so tired of being unable to buy products for my wife that include aspartame. With Stevia in the picture, hopefully aspartame and splenda will be long gone in a year or two.
Charley Brown
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FIRST OF ALL, STEVIA IS AN HERB WHICH I GROW THAT I USE AS A NATURAL SWEETNER THAT CONTAINS O SUGAR AND IS SAFE FOR DIABETICS.
NOW IT IS TAMPERED WITH AS THESE LARGE MONEY GRUBBING CORPORATIONS GET INVOLVED.
THEY ADD SUGAR, SO CALLED NATURAL FLAVORS(WHICH THEY DON’T SAY WHAT THEY ARE), NAMES LIKE REBIANA AND ERYTHRITOL.
I DON’T TRUST COCO COLA OR PEPSI SINCE THEY DON’T GIVE A HOOT ABOUT OUR HEALTH, NEVER HAVE AND NEVER WILL. THEY ARE OUT TO MAKE MORE MONEY ONLY!!!
I WOULD ONLY PURCHASE STEVIA FROM REPUTABLE SMALL ORGANIC COMPANYS THAT SELL THEIR PRODUCTS AT THE HEALTH FOOD STORES.
WHEN YOU SEE NAMES LIKE TRUVIA WITH INGREDIENTS YOU NEVER HEARD OF,
STEAR CLEAR. ALWAYS READ INGREDIENTS WHICH SHOULD ONLY BE STEVIA (LATIN NAME OF STEVIA rebaudiana) and inulin fiber
Great news. I am following this story with interest.
Great post, thanks for sharing.