The Changing Market for Stevia

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The Changing Market for Stevia

Posted on: 09/18/2006

http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/articles/06sep18feat4b.html

Stevia, also called sweet-leaf or honey-leaf, is a medicinal plant

indigenous to South America, where it has been used for centuries to

sweeten foods and beverages by the Guarani Indians. An estimated 280

species of stevia now grow wild in North and South America. However,

the only species with the sweetening properties that have attracted

so much attention to the herb is Stevia rebaudiana.

Despite the challenging regulatory obstacles that stevia products

have faced over the past 15 years, sales continue to climb year

after year in both the natural and conventional markets. Currently,

sales of stevia and medicinal tea with added stevia total $14.4

million in the natural channel, up 32 percent over the prior year.

Total dollar sales are lower in the conventional channel, but they

have grown nearly twice as much in the same period—63 percent over

the prior year to $3.6 million. (Figures are for the current 52

weeks ending July 15, 2006, in SPINSscan Natural and Conventional

channels.)

From Latin America to Asia, stevia is used across the globe as a

natural and safe noncaloric sweetener. For example, the herb

accounts for 40 percent of the sweetener market in Japan, where

artificial sweeteners have been banned due to strict food-additive

regulations. Stevia has been used in Japan for roughly 30 years with

no reported negative effects.

Stevia is almost completely free of calories, making it a wonderful

natural alternative to synthetic non-nutritive sweeteners such as

sucralose, acesulfame-K and aspartame, which many natural consumers

tend to avoid. Stevioside and Rebaudioside A are two chemical

components present in stevia.Together, they give the plant a taste

that is 200 to 300 times sweeter than refined sugar, without a

single side effect, according to an HerbalGram piece by Mark

Blumenthal (35:17, 1995).

Besides being a natural alternative to sugar, stevia has a number of

other healthful benefits that make it an ideal sweetener for anyone

with blood sugar issues. Wood, author of The New Whole Foods

Encyclopedia (Penguin Books, New York, 1999), noted stevia has

traditionally been used to balance glucose levels, because unlike

refined sugars, it does not cause spikes in blood sugar. Blood sugar

regulation is increasingly important to U.S. consumers; witness how

sales of products addressing diabetes total nearly $1 billion across

retail channels, and have increased 25 percent (SPINSscan Natural

and Conventional channels).

Due to its regulatory action on the pancreas, stevia also helps to

support proper digestion and appetite. Regular use of the herb can

help minimize hunger sensations and cravings for sweets or fatty

foods. In addition, stevia has an anti-fungal effect and can be used

to combat topical fungal infections such as athlete's foot. It is

ideal for Candida sufferers, as it does not feed yeast or other

microorganisms. It also has antibiotic properties that have been

shown to prevent oral bacterial conditions, specifically cavities

and gum disease.

During the late '80s, stevia was quickly gaining momentum as a

popular sweetener in the United States. Around the same time, an

anonymous firm lodged a trade complaint with the Food and Drug

Administration (FDA), stating stevia was being used as an unapproved

sweetener in the products of a successful tea company. As a result,

FDA banned its import in 1991, and changed its classification from a

food to a food additive.

This change in classification was a blow to producers. Foods do not

need pre-market approval before they enter into the food supply, as

they are automatically considered safe. Food additives, however,

must undergo expensive toxicological research studies in order to

meet FDA's safety requirements. While owners of patented food

additives are guaranteed big profits because of their lack of

competition in the marketplace, stevia would be impossible to

patent. As soon as the herb was approved for sale as a food

additive, anyone could manufacture and sell it as a sweetener.

Understandably, manufacturers were reluctant to invest millions of

dollars on product research that cannot promise a return on the

investment.

Since 1992, The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has

submitted at least two petitions to FDA challenging stevia's status

as a food additive. Even though the petitions contained extensive

data and research that proved the safe historical use of stevia as a

food, FDA did not file either petition for public comment. The

agency reportedly was not satisfied with the research submitted

because the studies were conducted outside the United States and

published in foreign journals.

In September, 1995, FDA finally lifted its fouryear import ban on

stevia. However, the reintroduction of stevia to the United States

was limited to its sale as a dietary supplement, and prohibited its

use as a sweetener or flavoring ingredient in any food products.

Today, stevia is sold in most natural foods stores in the supplement

department. It is available in several forms, including packets and

powder, as well as plain and flavored liquid. Although it has been

banned for sale as a sweetener, savvy consumers still purchase

stevia for this use. Unlike aspartame, stevia is heat stable up to

392°F.However, baking with stevia is not the same as baking with

sugar. The molecular structures of the two sweeteners are completely

different. Sucrose (sugar) will caramelize when heated, giving baked

goods a brown crust that helps in determining when cookies, cakes

and pastries are done. Stevia, on the other hand, does not have this

browning quality. Cooking times may differ from traditional recipes,

and ingredient measures are not the same. Since stevia is 200 to 300

times sweeter than sugar, a teaspoon may be enough to equal a cup of

sugar, depending on the strength of the herbal extract.

As more studies question the safety of non-natural sweeteners like

sucralose, acesulfame-K and aspartame, consumer demand for safe non-

caloric sweeteners is increasing considerably. In spite of federal

regulations limiting the sale of stevia products to supplements and

medicinal teas, the herb continues to grow in popularity amongst

natural and mainstream consumers alike.

Kerrin Rourke is natural products expert and Caltvedt the

assistant manager of marketing and communications with San Francisco-

based SPINS, a leading market research firm. SPINS is a leading

provider of industry reporting and consulting services for the

natural products sector. SPINS' comprehensive offering includes

retail measurement services, content-based reporting, consumer

information and consulting services. Learn more at www.spins.com, or

contact the company (415) 957-4400.

User Comments !

Thank you Kerrin and for continuing to inform the public about

the acceptance of stevia

Posted by: Dave | September 19 2006 11:03:43

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