Steadily Seeking Stevia Approval

One of the more-noteworthy ingredient developments in the last year or so was the announcement that Cargill Inc. and The Coca-Cola Co. were joining forces to develop and market a stevia-based sweetener. The Wall Street Journal online is reporting that a series of scientific studies regarding its health effects may soon be published in a peer-reviewed journal. This could be a significant step on the road to FDA approval for the natural sweetener.

A vocal contingent of stevia fans have been clamoring for its approval as a food ingredient for at least a decade, citing its long history of use and approval in several markets, most notably Japan and Korea. However, the FDA and Center for Science in the Public Interest—an unlikely duo if there ever was one—have cited potential safety concerns as reasons for red-lighting the herb’s GRAS approval.

I’m not familiar-enough with stevia’s purported safety issues, so I can’t comfortably comment on that aspect. But from a food scientist’s perspective, the potential for such a sweetener is quite high: It’s got a natural pedigree; it’s noncaloric and fairly stable; and Cargill reports that the new sweetener (called rebiana) is free of off-flavors carried by the herbal versions. If and when it gets FDA-approval (alas poor alitame ...), it will be interesting to see how the market greets it, as well as what, if any, controversies it generates.