Finally, the FDA “Discovers” Stevia

May 7, 2009 by GiGi

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stevia products I’ll bet you’ve noticed new Stevia-based products on the market now – Truvia and PureVia. New sodas are being developed with these sweeteners in mind.

But before we all rush out to buy these new healthy sweetened products, let’s have a little history:

You may remember a year ago, I posted some findings from the IFC on Food and Health Safety. I had an issue with their statement that basically said all artificial sweeteners have been thoroughly tested by the FDA and deemed safe.

At the time, I also wondered why Stevia wasn’t included. And they came back with their answer (IFIC Answers Low Calorie Sweetener Question), which said that the FDA didn’t approve the use of stevia in foods, but called it a “dietary supplement”.

What I find interesting was when Coke and Pepsi announced they would be coming out with new Stevia-based products (Coke and Pepsi To Go Against The FDA), the FDA issued a “letter of no questions” that stated it does not question the conclusion that highly purified stevia sweeteners (also known as steviol glycoside extracts) are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) as general purpose sweeteners. (see Stevia Sweeteners)

Although I generally think using Stevia as a sugar substitute is an okay thing, I’m not convinced that the products coming to the market are actually TRUE Stevia. There has been some concern about what else is included as a sweetening agent in these products.

For further reading, I suggest:

Show Down at the Coffee Shop

Before Rushing To Buy New Stevia Products