Stevia Green Light Sweetens Market

FDA has finally given the go-ahead for the use of stevia Reb A, also known as rebiana, sweeteners (Rebaudioside A purified from Stevia rebaudiana, as a general-purpose sweetener in foods generally, excluding meat and poultry products). The news made quite a ripple—I haven’t seen this much industry buzz about a new ingredient since the introduction of aspartame in the ‘80s, although as a natural high-intensity sweetener, stevia certainly takes it to the next level. In a meeting last month with PureCircle Ltd., a major player in the Reb A ingredient market, executives with the company updated us on the research and status of the new sweetener, and today, Jordi Ferre, vice president/general manager, PureCircle USA, sent us a message outlining the benefits and expected market impact. Needless to say, he’s as excited as the rest of us!

  –Lynn A. Kuntz

Wow! I can’t even begin to tell you how exciting yesterday was. After months of waiting and preparation, the FDA issued a letter of no objection for the use of naturally-derived Reb A in food and beverages. For those of you who missed the news, Reb A is a derivative of the Stevia rebiana plant, which is native to South America and it’s 200 times sweeter than sugar, but has zero calories.

And for those of you who are wondering, yes, it’s from the same stevia that’s been a part of the dietary supplement industry for years. Reb A is different, though, in that it’s just one of about 10 steviol glycosides found in the stevia leaf. It’s one of the sweetest and best-tasting molecules in the leaf, and PureCircle has been able to isolate it through a rather high-tech, but natural, extraction and refining process to 97% purity. It’s this highly pure substance―Reb A―that is now cleared for use in food and beverages. The taste issues that some might remember from stevia extract have been eliminated.

Much of the world’s stevia supply is grown by subsistence-level farmers—small, independent farmers in developing economies. The growth of the Reb A market is a real opportunity to give economic stability to these farmers. Stevia is a hardy plant that requires little water and has few natural pests. Its cultivation provides significant economic benefits to local farming communities because it can be harvested up to four times a year.

I honestly feel this is a watershed moment in the food industry—at a time when obesity has become such a monumental public health issue—here’s a naturally-derived, zero-calorie sweetener that has great functionality. And stevia has been used for years as a sweetener in South America and Asia. Pundits are predicting that the market for stevia will grow threefold.

Starting the trend are Pepsi and Coca-Cola. Both companies are introducing new beverages sweetened with Reb A. Pepsi announced the launch of zero-calorie SoBe Lifewater and a new light orange juice Trop50 under the Tropicana brand. Coke is coming out with three flavors of Odwalla juice sweetened with Reb A. Beverages are a natural for Reb A, but it also can be used across the food category because it has great functional characteristics—it’s temperature and pH-stable.

I think the potential is great and that there will be a significant shift in the market from caloric sweeteners and synthetic high-intensity sweeteners. What do you think?

   – Jordi Ferre