Stevia

Harry Hirsute · � #1 � 06-01-2007, 11:21 AM

"6/1/2007 - Agribusiness Cargill has teamed up with Coca-Cola to market a new calorie-free natural sweetener made from the South American herb Stevia."

https://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/...stevia-rebiana

EarlyBird · � #2 � 06-05-2007, 03:39 AM

Well, it's about time

This will be better for all the Diet Coke drinkers, but it
won't matter to me.

Harry Hirsute · � #3 � 06-06-2007, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EarlyBird

Well, it's about time

This will be better for all the Diet Coke drinkers, but it
won't matter to me.

EarlyBird,

It's always possible that they may really surprise us and add their "new" sweetener to a brand new, "all-natural" drink, sans phosphoric acid, caramel color and all the other fun-stuff in Coke.

Dare to dream.

Harry Hirsute · � #4 � 12-18-2008, 11:18 PM

Quote:

The FDA has given the long-awaited green light for Reb A, the sweetener made from the stevia leaf, to be used in food and beverages - opening the flood gates for new product launches.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has concluded that it has no objection to rebiana, (Reb A) at 95 percent purity or above, having GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status as a general purpose sweetener for food and drink, not just as a supplement.

Two applicants, Merisant Company and Cargill, had notified the FDA that natural, zero calorie sweetener rebiana should have FDA GRAS and submitted evidence to show that it is safe for use in the food supply. They both confirmed they have received official notification of no objection from the FDA.

And within hours Coca-Cola and PepsiCo announced that their first drinks sweetened with Reb A will be hitting US shop shelves shortly.

Coca-Cola partnered with Cargill to develop their rebiana brand called Truvia, and PepsiCo, along with Whole Earth Sweetener Company (a subsidiary of Merisant Company) and PureCircle, have their own product under the PureVia brand.

Marcelo Montero, president, Cargill Health & Nutrition, said: “Given the extensive research conducted to assure the safety of Truvia rebiana, Cargill has tremendous confidence in the product.

“The FDA letter further validates what the science has concluded - that Truvia rebiana is safe for use for all consumers.”

The Malaysian company PureCircle, which boasts of being the world’s largest supplier of high-purity Reb A, also supplies Cargill with the ingredient.

Stevia sweetener gets US FDA go-ahead

scorpiotiger · � #5 � 12-19-2008, 12:03 AM

Harry, do you think the internet is changing things for the FDA?

The reason I say that is I don't think this would have happened even 15 years ago, because most people didn't know about stevia. But, with so much information on Stevia, and people comparing the risks to approved sweeteners like aspartame, saccharine, etc.. they would look foolish not approving it. Especially since the growing popularity of stevia is probably due to people looking for a sweetener that did not have the problems of FDA previously approved sweeteners.

I think the internet has put a spotlight on the FDA that I think they seem to now be aware of more than in the past. Especially with the news coverage of the revolving doors in the FDA and the increasing public awareness and access to FDA's approval process.

an example of information that was probably hard to get a hold of in the past:
US FDA/CFSAN - Biotechnology - List of Completed Consultations on Bioengineered Foods
US FDA/CFSAN - How to Request Information or Make a Freedom of Information Request

Harry Hirsute · � #6 � 12-19-2008, 10:53 AM

ST,

I think the Internet has had a major impact on the FDA and on government in general. It's easier to get the word out and to expose ridiculous policies. It also makes it easier for manufacturers to determine the level of interest in prospective products. That's part of what happened here, IMO. There was an untapped market. The possibility of a profit = commercial interest. Profit/Money = greater access to the FDA and meeting their requirements.

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