Stevia Workshop Hits SupplySide West

These days, when contemplating the associated trends of natural, sweeteners and obesity, one key subject should immediately spring to mind: stevia. This all-natural zero-calorie sweetener is still a relatively new kid on the block, but it’s generating quite a stir. After all, when you can align products with three prevailing trends in one fell swoop, sales potential incrementally increases.

With these principles firmly in mind, we planned a stevia workshop for the morning of Sat. Oct. 23 during SupplySide West (for complete details on the show, visit the SupplySide website). During the workshop, “Stevia: Trends, Product Development and Regulatory Update Workshop,” sponsored by Blue California and SweetLeaf (Wisdom Natural Brands), Lynn Dornblaser, Mintel’s director of CPG trend research, and Claire L. Kruger, Ph.D., director of health sciences for Spherix, will dig into the science behind stevia with an eye firmly on the future. Specific points on the agenda include:

Overall activity in sweeteners, including sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and high-intensity sweeteners such as sucralose and aspartame, as well as stevia and agave syrup;

• Global products that include stevia;
• Consumer attitudes about stevia and other types of sweeteners;
• The regulatory history and current status in the U.S. and abroad;
• Scientific advancements in stevia processing techniques.

If your R&D work touches on sweeteners in any regard, chances are, this is a top priority for you. If you are already planning on attending SupplySide, make a point to sign up for this key event. And if you haven’t yet decided whether or not to make the trip, this just might push you over the edge and onto the plane. Hope to see you in Vegas!