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Shrub-Derived Stevia: A Sweet Solution

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@tampatrib.com

Published: February 7, 2009

Type "aspartame" or "sucralose" into a search engine and you're bound to hit links tying the artificial sweeteners to some malady. Never mind that the Food and Drug Administration says they are safe.

Now, the FDA is considering giving the green light to zero-calorie sweeteners derived from stevia, a shrub. These sweeteners are regarded as natural, a Holy Grail for makers of soda and other products because it may appeal to health-conscious consumers.

Major U.S. beverage companies PepsiCo Inc. and Coca-Cola Co. are eager to launch stevia-sweetened products. Agribusiness giant Cargill Inc. has a stevia-based sweetener in grocery stores, and the maker of the popular sweetener Equal soon will do the same.

Federal law allows companies to self-certify products as safe prior to an FDA decision on the matter, even if concerns are being voiced about their safety. But the big beverage companies are waiting because they don't want to have to pull products in case the FDA says no.

And concerns are being voiced about potential cancer-causing properties of stevia, particularly by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a food watchdog group that is urging that the FDA do more testing.

Artificial sweeteners, from saccharin to aspartame to sucralose, long have been vital to the production of diet food and drinks. But from careful scientific studies to "Internet quackery," they also have been dogged by health concerns, says Mike Richardson, an industry analyst at consultant Freedonia Group.

Stevia is native to South America, where it is often used. A few decades ago, Japan developed commercial stevia-based sweeteners. Australia also recently approved stevia as a sweetener.

Still, stevia-based sweeteners are banned in much of Europe, and in the United States they have been prohibited as a food additive; that's what's pending before the FDA.

Chicago Tribune

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