The European Parliament and the Council of Ministers have given their approval for the use of steviol glycosides, a natural sweetener derived from the stevia plant, as an ingredient in foods and beverages in the European Union. The new regulatory policy will enter into force twenty days after it is published in the EU Official Journal.  This means that products sweetened with steviol glycosides could be available to consumers across Europe by as early as 3 December 2011. Steviol glycosides are considered... ...Read more »

Stevia supplier PureCircle has argued that new “important” markets will open for the high-intensity sweetener after a positive ruling global food standards body Codex.The London-listed firm said yesterday that a decision from the Codex Alimentarius Commission would help markets including India, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines approve the use of stevia in food and drink products. CFO William Mitchell said a decision from Codex to adopt all of the proposed draft maximum levels for... ...Read more »

Suppliers of stevia today lined up to welcome a ruling within the EU that brings full regulatory backing for the intense sweetener a step nearer. The EU’s Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health yesterday voted to recommend the use of stevia as an ingredient in food and beverages. Products containing stevia have been on sale in France for two years but suppliers are waiting for the EU to say that the ingredient can be used across the region. The European Parliament is set to look... ...Read more »

The International Stevia Council (ISC) announced today the launch of an independent Proficiency Testing Program (PTP) for stevia products. At the moment, there are a wide variety of analytical methods and reference standards being used within the industry to determine steviol glycoside content. Importantly, the quality of the analytical methods and reference standards is not consistent across the industry.  This has resulted in inaccurate and inconsistent representation of product composition and... ...Read more »

Stevia has enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity on the global stage over the past four years. A new study by leading food and drink consultancy Zenith International estimates that worldwide sales of stevia reached 3,500 metric tonnes in 2010, a 27% increase on 2009, taking its overall market value to US$285 million. “As rising levels of obesity and diabetes continue to dominate headlines, there has never been so much emphasis on reducing our caloric intake as well as consuming healthier foods... ...Read more »

Stevia firm PureCircle nearly doubled its sales in the third quarter as its table-top sweeteners won market share in the US and France. In a trading update yesterday (13 January), the firm recorded sales of US$995m for the quarter compared to $488 in the comparable period of 2009. The company said it is expecting to report sales of $13m in the first half to 31 December. For the full-year, analyst consensus estimates are in the range $69m to $78m. “The company will benefit from having more... ...Read more »

Schweppes Australia has added two new flavours to its family-favourite line, Schweppes Lemonade. Schweppes Limeade and Orangeade have no artificial colours or flavours and are sweetened with stevia, a natural plant extract, in addition to sugar, so contain absolutely no artificial sweetener. Schweppes said that using stevia as part of the sweetening of carbonated beverages is a “really exciting development”, representing “true innovation” in the beverages category. “Orangeade... ...Read more »

Food Standards Australia New Zealand has reviewed a request by Cargill to increase the maximum permitted levels of steviol glycosides, the sweetening agent in stevia, in order to provide a better taste profile. If accepted, the maximum stevia sweetener content would be raised for ice cream, water based beverages, brewed soft drinks, formulated beverages and flavoured soy beverages. An acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 0-4 mg/kg bodyweight, expressed as steviol equivalents, was established by FSANZ... ...Read more »

Stevia supplier GLG Life Tech has signed a deal to sell and distribute zero-calorie food and beverage products in China that are sweetened with the natural sweetener. GLG will join forces with China Agriculture and Healthy Foods Co. (CAHFC) to set up a joint venture, Dr Zhang’s All Natural and Zero Calorie Beverage and Foods Co (ANOC). CAHFC, which will take an 20% stake in ANOC, has spent two years developing the venture’s production capabilities and GLG said the Chinese firm has developed... ...Read more »

Ajinomoto has defended its artificial sweetener product aspartame, of which the Japan-based food group is the largest supplier, and questioned the potential of natural sweetener stevia. Critics have long claimed that aspartame is associated with numerous health risks. Retailers, including the UK’s Marks and Spencer and South Africa’s Woolworths Holdings, have removed aspartame from their own-label lines in recent years. Meanwhile, Asda, the UK arm of Wal-Mart, has been embroiled in a... ...Read more »