Industry groups have reiterated their position that sugar is fine in moderation, after a provocative commentary in the journal Nature this week called for regulating sugar like alcohol or cigarettes, arguing that it is just as toxic for the body.
While traders “jumping in and out of the stevia marketplace” are disrupting prices and standards by peddling some “awful” extracts, high-quality stevia suppliers in it for the long-haul will ultimately prosper, according to one leading player.
The body may absorb more fructose from high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) than it does from sucrose, according to a new study published in the journal Metabolism.
Forget goji berries and noni juice. Tart cherries, blueberries and other more familiar fruits are likely to trump their exotic cousins in 2012 as shoppers tire of Orac-tastic superfruits, according to trend watcher Hartman Group.
Better defining the relationship between chemical structure and digestibility of under-used natural sugars could help industry to produce a new generation of “designer” sweeteners, say researchers.
Taxing food manufacturers on caloric sweeteners added to foods would be more effective for reducing their consumption than taxing finished sugary foods and drinks, according to new research published in Contemporary Economic Policy.
Cargill is looking beyond beverage to dairy as it flags up pending product launches for Truvia in both table-top and as an ingredient on the EU market next year.
GLG Life Tech has signed an exclusive five-year supply agreement with International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) for its rebaudioside C (Reb C) stevia extract, the company has said.
Stevia supplier GLG Life Tech has denied that it failed to disclose certain information required under federal securities laws, after a New York-based national law firm announced it was investigating the company’s statements to shareholders.
Sugar growers have amended a lawsuit against the Corn Refiners Association (CRA), claiming that some members of the association have conspired to engage in false advertising – an accusation the CRA denies.
In-depth understanding of how stevia works with different flavour systems, bulking agents, and other ingredients is required to optimise NPD or reformulation of existing food and drinks using the natural sweetener.
Stevia supplier GLG Life Tech saw sales plummet 92% in the third quarter, after end customers complained about aftertaste problems when formulating with the sweetener, the company said.
Cargill has embarked on a pan-European roll-out of its stevia-based sweetener Truvia after the European Commission finally issued the green light for the sale of steviol glycosides in Europe from November 11.
The stevia market is “turning quickly into the wild wild West” as more firms enter the fray in a bid to cash in on growing demand for the all-natural sweetener, according to one supplier.
Non-profit consumer group Citizens for Health is the latest organization to oppose the Corn Refiners Association’s petition to allow ‘corn sugar’ as an alternative label declaration for high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
In the world of food marketing, perception is everything. Consumers want foods that sound wholesome, friendly, and above all “natural” – although they are rarely able to articulate what this means.
Stevia plant derived Rebiana is significantly more potent in cold water, finds a US based team who flag up their findings as critical for developers of low-calorie products to get the right sweetness level when replacing sugar with the natural sweetener.
A co-ordinated industry-led effort to produce a working definition of the term ‘natural’ on food packaging would help firms navigate one of the most contentious areas of food marketing, according to one labeling expert.
A lawsuit that claims it is misleading to market high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as ‘corn sugar’ and ‘natural’ has been allowed to go ahead – but the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) has called it an attack on free speech.
Stevia-sweetened fruit drink Trop50 has been the runaway success story in PepsiCo’s US beverages business this year with volumes of the mid-calorie beverage up 50% in the third quarter, PepsiCo has revealed.
Stevia supplier PureCircle has introduced a new stevia-derived sweetener, which it claims has fewer of the taste problems previously associated with stevia, allowing deeper calorie reductions in a wide range of products.
Use of stevia is predicted to rise at an astonishing rate this year, taking the natural sweetener's share of the total US sugars and sweeteners market from 1.8% in 2010 to 9.1% in 2011, according to Packaged Facts.
Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) has been touring Indiana as part of a campaign calling for reform of US sugar policy, which he says keeps sugar prices artificially high and costs US jobs.
Wild Flavors has developed a sweet taste modifier specifically for use with Reb A 60 that can match its flavor to that of higher purity stevia extracts, the company has claimed.
Stevia supplier GLG Life Tech has slashed its revenue expectations for 2011 and has seen its share price slip to a year low, as it reported its second quarter results.
A group of US senators has written to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in support of the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) petition to allow food manufacturers to label high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as ‘corn sugar’.
Dupont, which earlier in the year warned that its May $6.49bn acquisition of Danisco would dent its yearly profits, has defied expectations in second quarter results published today.
With brand loyalty in the beverage aisles “in freefall” manufacturers have to work harder to excite consumers with new ideas from retro-style acid phosphates to drinking vinegar and Horchata, according to market researchers at The Hartman Group.
Stevia player PureCircle, has agreed a multi-year global distribution agreement with Firmenich to accelerate commercialization of the company’s new natural flavor, NSF-02.
Now Health Group has received a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) letter of no objection that its enzyme-modified organic stevia ingredient is generally recognized as safe (GRAS), the company has said.
Hype about the promise of stevia created inflated expectations – but the market has evolved in response, according to stevia supplier PureCircle’s vice president of global marketing Jason Hecker.
Stevia supplier PureCircle has developed a natural flavor modifier that enhances the sweetness of stevia, sugar and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to allow larger calorie reductions, the company has said.
Botanical extract manufacturer Chengdu Wagott is to open its second stevia facility in China, which it says will boost its Reb A capacity from 200 tons per year to 500 tons.
Five companies and two trade organizations have joined a lawsuit against members of the corn refining industry in an attempt to stop them from claiming that high fructose corn syrup is a natural corn sugar.
Food and drink manufacturers are ‘shooting themselves in the foot’ by continually advertising products with ‘no artificial’ labels, says Hans Heezen, chairman of the International Sweetener Association.
Domino Foods, Wild Flavors and Sunwin International have entered a collaborative agreement to produce naturally-derived sweeteners and sweetening systems, the companies have said.
Previously discovered sweetener molecules which have been ‘lost or forgotten’ in the scientific literature may have a place in the future of sweet taste research, according to a new review.
The International Stevia Council has launched a new, independent proficiency testing program (PTP) for stevia products, which is intended as a benchmark to ensure analytical methods used to determine composition and purity yield accurate results.
A group of sugar farmers and refiners has filed a lawsuit against members of the corn refining industry in an attempt to stop them from claiming that high fructose corn syrup is a natural corn sugar.
Tate & Lyle today announced that it has entered a five-year exclusive global marketing and distribution agreement for BioVittoria’s zero-calorie monk fruit sweetener, the company told FoodNavigator-USA.
Sugar policy reform is back on the US legislative agenda, as two new bills that aim to end the sugar price support program have attracted broad food industry support.
A raft of new food and drink products containing an intense natural sweetener from monk fruit (luo han guo) could hit shelves in the United States this year, according to the New Zealand-based firm driving its commercialization.
Steviol glycosides produced by fermentation could be on the market in the coming years due to advances made by Swiss company Evolva and Californian R&D partner Abunda Nutrition, which it plans to acquire.
Rising health concerns, all-natural credentials and growing regulatory approval are all driving stevia’s rapid market growth, finds a new report from Zenith International, which forecasts worldwide sales will more than triple in volume by 2014.
Stevia supplier GLG Life Tech has partnered with International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) to extract and supply Rebaudioside C (Reb C) for use by IFF as a flavor modulator, the company said.
Sweet Green Fields (SGF) has announced its first successful, commercial harvest of stevia grown in the US, which it claims can compete effectively on cost with China.
