Stevia in the Spotlight

As someone who has been tuned into the keen profit potential of the “natural food” market for some time now, I welcomed the arrival of stevia—and, more specifically, its user-friendly constituent, highly purified rebaudioside A—onto the market with open arms (something I wrote about in the context of natural functional foods in a recent issue of the magazine). Yes, stevia has displayed some lingering flavor issues, but astute processors—most notably in tandem with flavor houses—have done wonders with exorcising that bogey.

As many of you are likely aware, our big annual gig, SupplySide West, is just around the corner. To help close out the show with a bang, we’ll be offering a top-level workshop on this potentially revolutionary sweetener, which Mintel recently noted will break the $100 million barrier this year. The workshop, “Stevia: Trends, Product Development and Regulatory Update,” will be on the morning of Saturday Nov. 14, and the good folks at Pure Circle, Blue California, GLG Weider Sweet Naturals, Sweet Green Fields, WILD Flavors and Wisdom Natural Brands all have had a hand in bringing this event to life. The last stevia workshop we held (at last year’s SupplySide West) was quite lively and packed to the gills, and this event promises more of the same. Those considering attending would be wise to register early.

And really, what better reason do you need to extend your voyage to Vegas another day or so? It’s simply a natural.