Calls to reverse FDA action over stevia sweetener

19-Dec-2008 - More stevia sweetened products are lining up for launch but campaigners are calling for the FDA decision that signaled that the sweetener could be used in food and beverages to be reversed.

More companies move into stevia market

19-Dec-2008 - A flurry of activity has followed the FDA no objection letters for the stevia-derived sweetener, Reb A, to be used in food and beverages as two companies announce self-affirmed GRAS.

Stevia sweetener gets US FDA go-ahead

18-Dec-2008 - 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.

Cargill ad campaign to prepare market for stevia

16-Dec-2008 - Cargill has begun a nationwide marketing drive to promote Truvia, its brand of natural, zero calorie stevia sweetener.

Campaigners urge against early stevia product launches

16-Dec-2008 - As the drive to bring stevia to shop shelves steps up a gear, campaigners urge caution in what they see as a rush to market, saying FDA GRAS must come first.

Coca-Cola could launch stevia drink ahead of FDA GRAS

15-Dec-2008 - Coca-Cola is expected to launch a drink sweetened with stevia in the US this week, according to reports, but there is still no word from the FDA on GRAS status.

News in brief

Cweet’s potential explored as it awaits approval for use

01-Dec-2008 - The CEO of US firm Natur Research Ingredients, Loren Miles, is to promote the benefits of its Cweet Natural Intense Sweetener to the European market as it awaits regulatory approval.

PepsiCo ready for stevia product launches

26-Nov-2008 - PepsiCo said it is poised to launch two drinks sweetened with stevia in the US as soon as it is given the green light by the FDA over its GRAS status.

McNeil and Sugar Association settle Splenda dispute

18-Nov-2008 - The Sugar Association and McNeil Nutritionals have reached a settlement in the ongoing legal battle over the marketing of the sweetener Splenda.

Calls for stevia certification

17-Nov-2008 - As the stevia circus rumbles on, the need for certification to ensure quality and clarity has been highlighted by a company which develops analytical tools for ingredients reference standards.

Promising stevia sales ahead of GRAS

12-Nov-2008 - Sales of a stevia supplement across the US could hint at the potential demand for the natural sweetener in food and beverages as GRAS notification is expected within days.

Cargill partnership aims to set stevia standard

12-Nov-2008 - Cargill has entered into an exclusive agreement with ChromaDex to ensure quality and consistency of the natural sweetener stevia, as ingredients companies scrabble for position in an emerging market.

Bunge merger under threat after CPI withdraws support

05-Nov-2008 - The merger agreement between Bunge and Corn Products International has been thrown into turmoil as CPI’s board has withdrawn its support for the $4.8bn deal.

Dietary guidelines needed for water

03-Nov-2008 - The American Beverage Association is calling on the new 2010 dietary recommendations which are currently being revised to include a guideline on proper hydration.

Weekly comment

The hour of stevia is nigh

27-Oct-2008 - The course of true love never did run smooth. The same could be said of stevia’s road to regulatory approval as a food ingredient. One final concerted effort is needed to ensure approval of this hot ingredient.

Companies poised for changes in stevia regulations with new deal

10-Sep-2008 - The march to bring stevia into the mainstream continues as GLG Life Tech Corporation has struck a deal with US-based Weider Global Nutrition to take the sweetener to mass markets around the globe.

Calls for more stevia safety tests threaten market launches

29-Aug-2008 - The safety of stevia has been called into question again after scientists at the University of California said further tests were needed on potential cancer causing properties before the sweetener is used in food and drink.

PureCircle could be winner in Pepsi v Coca-Cola stevia wars

06-Aug-2008 - As both PepsiCo and Coca-Cola gear up to launch beverages sweetened with stevia, it could be that their common supplier, PureCircle, is the real winner in the race to be first to market.

PepsiCo sparks stevia wars with Coca-Cola

31-Jul-2008 - PepsiCo is whipping up a storm in the beverage industry as it raises the stakes against its old rival Coca-Cola with the launch of a new natural sweetener from the stevia plant.

HFCS is natural, says FDA in a letter

08-Jul-2008 - High fructose corn syrup may be labeled natural when synthetic fixing agents do not come into contact with it during manufacturing, said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), fuelling further debate on the controversial sweetener.

Blue California nears self-affirmed GRAS stevia launch

02-Jul-2008 - Ingredients group Blue California says it expects to obtain self-affirmed generally regarded as safe (GRAS) approval for its stevia-derived sweetener compound by next month.

New sweetener to hit market hungry for alternatives

24-Jun-2008 - An ingredients company has developed a new natural sweetener that it claims tastes like cane sugar and is expected to rival products such as stevia.

Cargill names stevia brand on back of new science

16-May-2008 - Cargill yesterday gave a name to its stevia brand, further to the publication of an overview of the science supporting the use of rebiana as a sweetener.

CPI adds stevia in hopes of FDA approval

23-Apr-2008 - Corn Products International is investing in what it sees as the eventual approval of stevia as a sweetener by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA), by adding a stevia-based high-intensity sweetener to its portfolio.