GLG’s profits boosted as proprietary stevia leaf comes on line

10-Aug-2010 - Stevia supplier GLG Life Tech’s gross profits increased 126 percent in the first half of 2010, and revenue grew 35 percent, to C$18.7m, boosted by development of its proprietary stevia leaf, the company said.

Stevia pioneer recounts first encounter

05-Aug-2010 - Jim May of SweetLeaf tells how he came across the sweet leaves from Paraguay almost three decades before they captured the imagination of the mainstream food industry.

Competition and collaboration in the stevia industry

04-Aug-2010 - Representatives of stevia suppliers PureCircle, GLG Life Tech and Blue California spoke with FoodNavigator-USA.com at IFT about areas in which members of the stevia industry can work together - even as competing companies.

PureCircle-S&W Seed deal aims to scale up domestic stevia supply

02-Aug-2010 - PureCircle has said it is a step closer to providing US-grown stevia on a scale necessary to meet growing demand from American food and beverage companies, as it signed a five-year deal with S&W Seed Company on Thursday.

PureCircle gains FDA GRAS for Reb D and F

21-Jul-2010 - Major stevia player PureCircle has won a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) letter of no objection from the Food and Drug Administration for a blend it is aiming at products seeking partial sugar and calorie reduction.

DISPATCHES FROM IFT

GLG’s stevia blends achieve self-affirmed GRAS

20-Jul-2010 - GLG Life Tech announced the commercial launch of its BlendSure range of stevia-derived sweeteners at IFT on Monday, following attainment of self-affirmed GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status late last week.

How stevia reshaped a family business

16-Jul-2010 - In an interview with FoodNavigator-USA.com, Dr. Luke Zhang explains why he thinks the future looks sweet for stevia - and for his company, GLG Life Tech, one of the world's major stevia suppliers.

GLG Life Tech finalizes Sugar Australia deal

15-Jul-2010 - Stevia supplier GLG Life Tech has signed a five-year deal with Sugar Australia for distribution and marketing of its stevia-derived sweeteners for the Australian and New Zealand food and beverage markets.

Redpoint Bio and IFF sign deal for Reb-C sweetness enhancer

02-Jul-2010 - Redpoint Bio has signed a 5 year exclusive license with IFF for the further development and commercialisation of its Reb C sweetness enhancer, which could enable the development of lower calorie foods for children.

Stevia organization calls for simplified stevia terminology

25-Jun-2010 - The newly established Global Stevia Institute has called for industry to simplify the terminology it uses to communicate with consumers about stevia and its extracts in an effort to avoid confusion.

Senomyx and PepsiCo negotiating sweet taste technology deal

24-Jun-2010 - California-based flavor firm Senomyx has signed a letter agreement with PepsiCo to negotiate a deal for the development and commercialization of new sweet taste technology, Senomyx said on Thursday.

Blue California develops fermentation process for Reb A extraction

22-Jun-2010 - Blue California, manufacturer of the Good & Sweet-brand Reb A stevia extract, has developed a natural fermentation process that it will be using to extract the sweetener by next March, the company has said.

Discovering the market for ‘mid-calorie’ stevia-sugar blends

17-Jun-2010 - Stevia suppliers have been partnering with sugar companies with the aim of blending the two sweeteners for more sucrose-like taste and lower calories – but the success of hybrid sweeteners relies on consumer acceptance.

GLG Life Tech anticipates FDA GRAS for stevia blends by year’s end

14-Jun-2010 - Stevia supplier GLG Life Tech has said it expects Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognition of its proprietary steviol glycoside blends as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the end of the year.

Stevia tops preferences for low-cal chocolate

01-Jun-2010 - Beverages formulated with stevia are preferred by consumers over similar products sweetened with sugar or other common high intensity sweeteners, says new research from Croatia.

PureCircle establishes institute to promote science-based stevia information

26-May-2010 - Major stevia supplier PureCircle has established an institute with the stated aim of providing a consistent voice on the science behind the zero-calorie plant-derived sweetener.

GLG Life Tech narrows loss as revenues increase

18-May-2010 - Stevia supplier GLG Life Tech has narrowed its first quarter loss from $1.5m to $1.3m as it continued to capitalize on growing demand for the zero-calorie sweetener, the company said.

GLG Life Tech seeks stevia market development in India

17-May-2010 - Stevia supplier GLG Life Tech has announced that it is looking to develop agricultural and extraction facilities for stevia in India, as well as market its stevia extracts in the nation.

PureCircle looks to develop domestic US stevia supply

14-May-2010 - Stevia supplier PureCircle has entered into a deal with S&W Seed Company to trial new varieties of stevia plants that could be grown in California in the near future, the company has said.

PureCircle invests in stevia breeding program for sweeter leaves

28-Apr-2010 - Stevia supplier PureCircle has signed an agreement with Michigan State University for research and breeding of new stevia plant varieties for greater concentration of sweet components.

PepsiCo explores natural sweetener from oats

26-Apr-2010 - Patents filed by PepsiCo and Cargill reveal they are exploring new sources of natural sweeteners from oats and monatin, a naturally-occurring substance found in a plant grown in South Africa.

Natural sweeteners could take a quarter of market share: Report

23-Apr-2010 - Natural sweeteners may account for up to a quarter of the global intense sweeteners market by the middle of the next decade, according to a new report from Leatherhead International.

GLG signs Australian and South American stevia deals

19-Apr-2010 - Stevia supplier GLG Life Tech has announced collaborative agreements in two key markets for the plant-derived sweetener: Australasia and South America.

Kraft introduces stevia-sweetened fitness drink

13-Apr-2010 - Kraft Foods is expanding its range of products that are naturally sweetened with stevia with the launch of a low-calorie fitness beverage.