Saccharine, sold as Sweet N’ Low and named “the pink one”, was the first artificial sugar substitute to hit the market. That was back in 1957. Then aspartame under the brand names Equal and NutraSweet came along to sweeten teas and beverages. Following on its heels was sucralose, better known as Splenda. In recent years, a new generation of herbal sweeteners has made its appearance on the sugar substitute scene. So far there’s no indication that they’re breathing down the old timer’s necks. But do Saccharine & Co. have reason to worry?

Before evaluating the new guys, let’s see how the old timers were faring before stevia came along.

Saccharine, aspartame, and sucralose – all three have FDA approval. But opinion on their safety is clearly divided. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) in particular, has never been impressed with the FDA approval of saccharine and aspartame. They point to the results of various studies they have conducted that have linked these sweeteners to cancer. The Center seems to have no problems with sucralose, though.

Now, let’s look at the recent entrants: PureVia, Truvia, ZSweet, Zerose and Xagave, which are natural sweeteners. PureVia and Truvia are made from the extract of a plant named stevia. Though this plant extract has been used by natives of South America for centuries as a natural sweetener, it has only made its presence felt in the west recently. The FDA has granted approval to these sweeteners. Stevia is 300 times sweeter than table sugar, which means that you need a very small quantity of the stuff to add sweetness to your foods and drinks. To reduce the excessive sweetness of stevia, PureVia and Truvia use erythritol, a sugar alcohol.

Following on the heels of these products have been ZSweet and Zerose. These are based purely on erythritol. The erythritol used in these sweeteners is derived from sugar, but it is calorie free. However, these sugars are only approximately 60-70 percent as sweet as sugar, so you may need to add more of these to add sweetness to your beverages. Unlike other sugar alcohols, erythritol doesn’t cause abdominal bloating. It doesn’t have a laxative effect either. All four artificial sweeteners have been luring dieters, diabetics and anyone else for who sugar is anathema though their websites, which feature conversion tables and recipes for desserts and shakes.

Xagave, an agave product is derived from a plant that is mostly found in Mexico. It is available in a liquid syrupy form called “nectar”. Unlike stevia and erythritol, agave is packed with calories. A tablespoon of agave has 56 calories. In comparison, a tablespoon of sugar contains 50 calories. But agave has a low glycemic index, meaning that it doesn’t send blood sugar levels soaring after consumption. Blood sugar levels soar after consuming sweet foods and drinks.
The fact that agave doesn’t result in this rapid rise of blood sugar levels should make it the number one sweetener, right? Wrong. You see, agave’s low glycemic index could be because it’s high on fructose, a simple sugar that’s been linked to gas, bloating, and other symptoms of an irritable bowel. Fructose can also increase the level of triglyceride levels in the body, which raises the risk of a heart attack. Its adverse effect on certain hormones can cause weight gain and obesity. So if you suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or have a history of cardiovascular disease, then stevia, erythritol, or the older artificial sweeteners, saccharine, aspartame and sucralose are probably ideal for you.

However, it is best to simply go slow on sweet foods and drinks. It’s not the type of sweetener that decides whether a food is healthy or not. In fact most often, these sweeteners are used in desserts, cakes, cookies and a bunch of other foods that are not that great for you anyway, and should be eaten in moderation.

Stevia, a plant extract sweetener is of course one of a new breed of sweeteners threatening old loyalties. The green color of its packet refers to the fact that it’s a natural sweetener, a fact that already gives it an edge over other sugar substitutes. The Food and Drug Administration of USA has blocked stevia for many years, although it’s very popular in Japan and other countries. But it finally gave away to pressure exerted by the American Herbal Products Association, giving stevia its approval. Several companies have started using stevia, marketed as PureVia and Truvia, in their drinks. Coke’s Sprite Green and Trop 50 from Tropicana, a subsidiary of PepsiCo also use stevia as a sweetener. Besides, stevia is also being blended with other sweeteners, including good old sugar to create flavors that are more sugar-like and natural.

Stevia is five times costlier than the cheapest sweetener available in the market. Its extraction requires specific procedures and cautions. Unless extracted from the right part of the leaf, processed properly, and mixed with bulking agents in the right proportion, it ends up tasting like licorice or menthol.

There are other sweeteners that are being used solely or in conjunction with sugar in foods and beverages. Aspartame is being blended with potent neotame, a sweetener that is 13,000 times sweeter than sugar. Acesulfame potassium or Ace K was blended with aspartame and used in Coke Zero. These days it’s not uncommon to pick a drink bottle and find in it sugar and sweeteners combined together to produce a unique taste and sweetness. The days of high fructose-based syrup beverages are fading away fast.

The artificial sweetener market is worth $1.2 billion annually. The war among the players is fierce and even extends to packaging. Splenda, the dominant player with a 60% market share, comes in yellow packets. It is being challenged by a combination of aspartame and sugar also marketed in yellow packets in a brand called NutraSweet Cane. This one already has a celebrity endorsement of sorts – Oprah’s former personal chef, Art Smith, has created recipes using this sweetener.

Despite the popularity of these artificial sweeteners, there has been no let up in their scrutiny. While saccharine was believed to increase the risk of cancer, aspartame is also under suspicion for causing a host of health complications, including neurological damage. But nothing has been established conclusively thus far. Doctors, researchers, and health professionals agree that these sweeteners may be harmless.

However, the fear of even a tiny health risk has not been not ruled out completely. These risks have not been able to deter lovers of artificial sweeteners, who only seem to differ by the brand they use. Whether artificial or natural, these sugar substitutes are not going away any time soon.

Naturally – no pun intended – this has been great news for the company’s founder Derek Newman who believes that these superb rankings validate what he and his company knew throughout – that the market was ready for an all natural, zero calorie diet soda that was free from artificial colors and flavors, and contained no chemical preservatives.

Zevia contains no artificial sweeteners like aspartame or sucralose and contains no corn syrup. Zevia’s natural sweet taste comes form stevia, an all natural sweetener that’s 300 times sweeter than sugar. Stevia has zero calories and has no effect on blood sugar levels. The beverage is available in six flavors.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only recently given its approval for rebaudioside A, the sweetest extract of the shrub. Though stevia is yet to get official approval in Europe, the Japanese have been using it for the last 30 years.
So what does stevia have that the other sweeteners don’t? For starters, liquid stevia is 10 to 15 times sweeter than regular table sugar. Stevia gets its sweetness from glycosides – a combination of glucose (a form of sugar) and stevia. In the stevia plant, Stevioside has the largest concentration of glycoside. Stevioside constitutes nearly 10 percent of the dried stevia plant, and is nearly 300 times as sweet as sugar. Stevia has also one distinct advantage over other sweeteners- it’s a true blue natural sweetener. So while others can claim of being sweeteners, stevia is a low calorie and natural sweetener, making it perfect for new age types, who want the zero calories without the chemicals.

Various studies have been conducted to gauge the effect of stevioside, but the reports remain inconclusive. The studies have been conducted on animals and human beings. In animals, stevia passes through the body without any changes in its composition. Steviol is also believed to affect your diabetes and blood pressure. In one study on human beings, it was found that a group of diabetic patients showed remarkable reduction in their blood glucose levels after consuming foods containing stevioside when compared to the same foods prepared with starch. However, this benefit was nullified in another study when a control group was given stevioside-containing foods for three months, and compared with another group that took a placebo. There was no significant drop in the blood glucose levels nor in blood pressure levels.

A separate study in China concluded that blood pressure levels dropped by 10 mm mercury after consumption of foods prepared with stevioside over a two year period. Tests for toxicity carried out in Japan have concluded that the extract has no toxic effects, although some people had intestinal discomfort after consuming stevia. These tests have concluded that stevioside is safe if the daily intake is restricted to 5mg – 1 gm per kilogram of body weight.

Stevia passes through the human body without any changes in its composition, and so is considered safe. The composition also doesn’t change when cooked with heat. But stevia’s effect on diabetes and blood pressure is still inconclusive. If it has a small or insignificant effect on blood glucose levels, then it will have a wider market. Any adverse effect, like the effects of table sugar on blood sugar levels, would limit its popularity. We need more in depth studies taking in to consideration all diabetes-related factors including lifestyle habits to determine the effects of stevia.

For the time being, stevia seems to be a healthy alternative to sugar. More studies are in progress in Europe. Acceptance by major companies such as Coke and Pepsi and others could promote stevia use worldwide.

Both the brands are being promoted as one hundred percent natural, zero calorie sweeteners – the first such sweeteners to be approved by the FDA for table-top use. The “herbal” and “natural” tags are expected to generate huge interest in the two products, which the companies hope will translate into major sales.

At the NutraSweet Company, President Bill DeFer, feigns a lack of worry about the new kids on the block. According to DeFer, the stevia sweetener will not compete directly with NutraSweet’s sweetener. The demand for aspartame across the world is steady and rising, and these stevia based sweeteners wont impact this section of the market, he claims. NutraSweet is currently developing its own stevia-based all natural sweetener called NutraSweet Natural.

Stevia is a plant that is found in Peru and other Latin American countries. Extracts from the leaves of the plant have a very sweet taste. The products had till now been approved for use only as a dietary supplement and not as a table top sweetener, restricting their reach into the market. That changed in December when the FDA approved Cargill’s Truvia and PepsiCo‘s PureVia. Although NutraSweet may brush aside any talk of competition, the fact is that anything natural is bound to be more appealing to customers than a chemical based sweetener. Plus, Stevia is up to 200 times sweeter than sugar, which will only add to its appeal to a mass consumer market.

With the FDA approval of Truvia and PureVia, new products are being developed containing the all natural sweetener. Pepsi will introduce 3 new flavors of SoBe Lifewater, and Coke is planning Stevia-infused Sprite drinks.

In December of 2008, two new brands containing sweet extracts of the shrub, Stevia Rebaudiana passed an FDA review. The two brands – Cargill’s Truvia which is owned by The Coca Cola Company and PepsiCo’s PureVia developed in collaboration with Merisant – are expected to arrive on department store shelves soon. The excitement in the industry is palpable, especially because these are the first all-natural stevia-based sweeteners that have been approved for use by the FDA for use as sweeteners.

Both Cargill and Merisant claim that they have managed to eliminate the natural licorice taste of the stevia leaves. The two soft drink giants will initially introduce stevia sweetened drinks and beverages in the market. Coca Cola is coming out with Sprite Green and Truvia. Pepsi is introducing several fruit flavors of SoBe Lifewaters sweetened with PureVia.

Amidst all the excitement, concerns are rising that the FDA has been hasty in granting approval to the stevia based sweeteners. According to Michel Jacobson, Head of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, studies have found a link between stevia and damage to genetic material. Tests also suggest that Rebaudioside A increases the risk of cancer. Jacobson is calling for more testing to be done before stevia is allowed to be added to foods and drinks.

Coca Cola and PepsiCo have obviously disputed the veracity of this data saying that FDA approval has come through more than 25 years of extensive research into stevia’s safety. Besides, the two companies have commissioned their own studies into stevia safety, and all research has concluded that these sweeteners are generally regarded as safe for use as general purpose sweeteners.

Jacobson believes that these sweeteners will be an instant success, but he is calling for in-depth testing before they are made available to the general public.

The concerns of stevia are linked to past controversies over health effects related to other sugar substitutes. Cyclamate and saccharine have been linked to cancer and other health scares. Aspartame has been associated by some Italian researchers to leukemia. The concerns over stevia look less likely to be dissipated just because the product is derived from a plant source. Expect much more debate over stevia as the demand for these herbal sweeteners increases.

Zero calorie sweeteners are big business and a few of the earliest players have quickly garnered a corner of the market. These mainly tend to be Aspartame based sweeteners, like Sweet N low and NutraSweet which have been approved by the FDA for decades now. However, aspartame-based sweeteners have been linked to several health concerns, and consumers have been vary of mixing these into their coffee and tea.

Enter stevia – a substance found naturally in the stevia plant that is native to several parts of South America, including Peru. The natives of these lands have used stevia leaves as a natural sweetener for hundreds of years. It was only in the past few decades that the leaves of the plant that are up to 300 times sweeter than sugarcane, were brought to the attention of the western world.

Companies quickly began processing the leaves, and developed a zero calorie all natural sweetener for use by the consumer. For years now, stevia has been marketed as a dietary supplement in the US, but did not receive FDA approval to be used as a table top sweetener. In countries outside of the US however, stevia based sweetener s are freely available as sugar substitutes.

The green light given to Cargill’s Truvia by the FDA gives a major boost to the company’s ambitions in the zero-calorie sweetener market. The company received an official FDA communiqué that the agency found no objection to research that proved that Rebaudioside A which is a scientific name for the stevia extract, is recognized as safe.

Needless to say Cargill is extremely excited about the go ahead given to Truvia by the FDA. The company has lost no time promoting the sweetener assuring customers that only the highest quality of stevia leaves go into the making of Truvia. The stevia plant has more than 200 varieties, and the quality of the product can depend on the extracted sweet compound that the leaves yield.

Not to be left behind, PepsiCo has produced its own brand of stevia based sweeteners called PureVia. The company has collaborated with Merisant to introduce PureVia which was also approved by the FDA in December.

Now with FDA approved stevia available in stores, consumers will be able to substitute a stevia-based sweetener like Truvia for table sugar in desserts and drinks. So far, there is little mention of any health risks connected to stevia, but the general feeling is that anything that comes from a plant must be better than artificial sugar substitutes that contain chemicals, which is bound to be sweet news for companies marketing these products.

The discovery of aspartame was reported in the Journal of the American Chemical Society and it basically talked about how the sweetener was discovered and that it was up to 100-200 times stronger than sugar based on its concentration.

A great deal of evidence has been gathered since its discovery that shows aspartame to be dangerous to people and even toxic. Nevertheless, Searle has effectively marketed the sweetener and made billions of dollars in the process at the expense of many people’s health.

Aspartame

Metabolic acidosis occurs when aspartame reaches more than 86 degrees F. That is because the wood alcohol changes to formaldehyde, which changes to formic acid.

Methanol toxicity is a death sentence, although diseases like multiple sclerosis are not. Multiple sclerosis has become rampant and systemic lupus is becoming more common as well. This is especially the case with Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers. Most of the time the victims are unaware that aspartame is at fault. The continued use of aspartame can irritate lupus to a point that it becomes a life threatening disease.

Many lupus patients become asymptomatic once they stop drinking diet colas. Those with Multiple Sclerosis see many of their symptoms vanish. Those with fibromyalgia and tinnitus also see great reductions in their symptoms when they stop ingesting aspartame.

People may be experiencing aspartame poisoning if they use aspartame products like Equal, NutraSweet, Spoonful, and the like, and have shooting pains, spasms, cramps, leg numbness, vertigo, dizziness, tinnitus, unexplainable depression, joint pain, anxiety attacks, blurred vision, slurred speech, and other fibromyalgia symptoms.

Unfortunately, modern medicine is not capable of diagnosing people with aspartame poisoning and are rather diagnosing diseases in error. This results in doctors dealing with one disease/one organ giving too many meds that result in even more diseases. It is recommended to avoid searching out doctors to diagnose what is wrong with you when you can simply avoid aspartame altogether.

Diet Soda

Diet colas are not actually diet products. Instead, they are products that have been altered chemically, contain aspartame, and too much salt. They actually make you gain weight and crave even more carbohydrates. Unbelievable, these beverages also have formaldehyde, which is stored in fat cells generally in the thighs and hips. Because of this, it should be no shock that many Americans are gaining weight and experiencing higher rates of diabetes and cancer.

Most people are aware that formaldehyde is used to preserve tissue in those that have died. Poisoning by formaldehyde results in symptoms of gastrointestinal and respiratory irritation, as well as irritation of the throat, mouth, and eyes. Other effects include renal damage and affects to the central nervous system that causes convulsions, stupor, vertigo, and even unconsciousness.

Those who are diabetic should be especially cautious with aspartame. Aspartame makes your blood sugar vary uncontrollably and since aspartic acid and phenylalanine are neurotoxin individuals may have severe memory loss. In diabetics, aspartame can cause seizures, panic attacks, brain damage, as well as uncontrollable rage and anger.

Non-diabetics who consume aspartame are likely to experience these same symptoms. Many times, children who have been diagnosed with ADHD or ADD are completely different once aspartame is taken out of their diet. Behavior modification drugs like Ritalin were no longer necessary.

Ritalin, methylphenidate, has been patented for quite a few decades and was first introduced in 1954. This drug is a CNS stimulant and there are many side effects reported from abuse by those who take methylphenidate. These include mood swings, insomnia, psychosis, nervousness, mood changes, reduced appetite and sex drive, stomachaches, hallucinations, diarrhea, and the like.

Under the Convention of Psychotropic Substances, methylphenidate is a Schedule II drug in the US as well as the rest of the world. It is ranked a Schedule II drug because it can be easily abused and is highly addictive.

An article in the Los Angeles Times quoted, “the uproar over Ritalin was triggered almost single-handedly by the Scientology movement.” This is interesting because during the 1980s a Scientology associated anti psychiatry group campaigned against Ritalin. They even lobbied Congress to investigate the drug. Some of the side effects of the drug that are less common include high blood pressure, palpitations, and tachycardia. It was considered that children taking the drug were being poisoned daily. If taken at conception or in early pregnancy it is likely to cause birth defects and/or mental retardation.

Artificial sweeteners should never be given to children as they are at increased risk for neurological disorders. It is not uncommon for children to experience neurological problems or even grand mal seizures.

In 1983, aspartame was approved for use in soft drinks and it had been approved for dry foods two years earlier. The same year, the late Senator Howard Metzenbaum of Ohio wrote the Aspartame Safety Bill. This bill would have required warning labels for at risk groups, especially women, children and babies. Part of the bill that was very important was the part that required the amount of aspartame that could be ingested and the amount the FDA allowed per day. The label would have also required a special label for pregnant women. This bill was killed by lobbying from MNCs working with the American FDA despite warning signs that aspartame was dangerous. The American FDA is no longer capable of doing its job and overseeing the safety of food and drugs in America.

The patent by Monsanto (the aspartame creator) on Aspartame has expired. However, there are thousands of products in the USA that use aspartame and many more that will use it in the future. The New York Times exposed the relationship between Aspartame and its funding of the American Dietetic Association, the American Diabetes Association, the Conference of the American College of Physicians, and more.

Splenda & Sucralose

Splenda has begun to replace aspartame, but it is not any healthier. In fact, there is a civil suit against Splenda that it advertises itself as a natural product because it is “made from sugar.” This product is not natural and Johnson and Johnson had internal documentation that proved consumers were under the impression that Splendid was indeed natural. Rulings in countries such as New Zealand, France, and Australia have found the advertising practices to be deceptive.

The founder of Mission Possible International, Dr. Betty Martini, has promoted Stevia, a natural herb, for diabetics instead of sugar. She says the controversy over sucralose continues and points out that aspartame was not approved for 16 years until lobbying and Ronald Reagan allowed it to happen. Then, instead of testing Splenda significantly before approving it, the FDA did not and simply approved it with little to no hesitation.

The public should be aware many of the diseases and deaths that occur are partly the cause of ingesting dangerous chemicals like aspartame and the like. People need to wake up and know what they are consuming and its effects on their bodies.

Just as appalling is the fact that the American Medical Association claims on its website, “AMA finds high fructose corn syrup unlikely to be more harmful to health than other caloric sweeteners.”

Many others are shocked at this, especially Payman. A registered dietitian, Thomas Buono, agrees with Payman that high fructose corn syrup should not be an ingredient in foods. He believes that too much sugar, regardless of where it comes from including syrup, honey, etc., is not good for you. However, high fructose corn syrup has even more qualities that should be questioned.

High fructose corn syrup may be claimed as “natural” because it is somehow made from corn, however it has been so highly processed that it does not process like other sugars do and they don’t provide any type of fullness like other sugars do, even if for a brief period of time.

What happens with high fructose corn syrup is that your blood sugar immediately spikes. It happens rapidly and it feels great, for a moment, but then the crash happens leaving you craving more.

This is not good for anyone’s body, but high fructose corn syrup places extra strain on the pancreas, the body’s organ that creates insulin. This is especially bad for people who have diabetes. A big problem is that Type II diabetes is rising across the country and many youths are being affected, too. This is a problem because people should eat fruits and vegetables as snacks, not foods filled with high fructose corn syrup.

Over a period of three years, more than three million more people have been affected by diabetes. In 2007, that number was 24 million and the spike over the past three years is scary. This information comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the number includes approximately 25% of people over 60. Even more staggering is the fact that 57 million people are affected by pre-diabetes and this is a condition that places people at risk for developing diabetes later in life.

Buono stated that high fructose corn syrup is a camouflage for sugar and since it is so concentrated, it promotes weight gain. This results in higher risk of diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, and a host of other health problems. The problem for consumers is that high fructose corn syrup is in practically every processed food.

“According to the United States Department of Agriculture, high-fructose corn syrup accounts for roughly 41 percent of all nutritive sweeteners consumed yearly in the United States,” Payman said.

High fructose corn syrup is found in everything from cereal to yogurt and canned fruit to pasta sauce. Amazingly, bread that is considered “light” often contains this bad sweetener. Then, Payman says, there are sodas and that is another story.

In Pepsi, there are 28 grams of sugar and high fructose corn syrup is listed as the second ingredient followed by caramel color. According to the American Medical Association, no more than 32 grams of added sugars should be consumed per day in a 2,000-calorie diet. The long ago colas of six ounces are no more and have become super sized at 12 ounces or even a liter. As a result, people who drink non-diet colas are more than likely to soar past the recommendations by the AMA.

According to Buono, people should just drink water. However, just because you do not drink regular drinks you may still have problems with the diet versions. In general, when people drink sweetened beverages, even if they are non-caloric, people have an increased craving for sweets and eat more. That means they are more likely to gain weight despite drinking non-caloric beverages.

There are safety issues associated with chemical sweeteners, too. Diet sodas should only be reserved for once a week or once in awhile. Those who like their sodas, however, may have a choice when it comes to what they drink. Stevia is from South America and really sweet and non-caloric. Above all, it is natural and may have anti-inflammatory properties.

The biggest problem both Bueno and Payman have is that manufacturers try to play up a products so called nutritional values although it may be packed with many less than desirable ingredients like high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils.

What is most important is that consumers be aware of what they are buying and never assume that because a food implies that it is healthy that it actually is. For example, Kellogg’s Smart Start sounds like a healthy cereal. However, it has a great deal of sugar including high fructose corn syrup. Consumers should read labels and know what they are putting in their bodies.

Above all, people should cook whole foods for themselves. When people eat vegetables, whole grains, and other natural foods they will be more satisfied while feeling full longer.

Now, stevia is finally being considered across the globe as a sugar substitute because it is very sweet. Dietary supplements of stevia are sold in the United States and individuals in other countries like South Korea, Brazil, and Japan have been taking the stevia supplements for years.

Recently, interest in stevia has increased dramatically and Both Pepsi and Coca Cola have developed no calorie sweeteners from the super sweet stevia plant. Both are trying to have their secret sweetener approved for use in the United States. All beverages are not suitable to the stevia sweetener and Pepsi has noted that the best beverages to use the stevia sweetener would be citrus flavored.

CQUniversity’s Centre for Plant and Water Science submitted the initial application in Australia for every consumer, user, or grower that would potentially be interested in stevia. David Midmore, a professor at the University, explained the stevia application had been developed because it was recognized to be a potential cash crop for farmers. In cooperation with University’s Honorary Fellow and research officer Andrew Rank, Midmore has worked for almost a decade on stevia.

Midmore has stated the problem with going through the approval process is that no company would hold the patent since it is not a new invention. As a result, no company wants to spend the money and time on a product that would be available for every company’s use.

The extract from stevia leaves is called steviol glycosides and they are a type of sugar that is incredibly intense. In fact, they are 250 times sweeter than sugar and stevia can be used in any food or drink that currently claims sugar as one of its ingredients. Before stevia replaces sugar, however, it is believed it will replace chemical sweeteners like those used in diet colas and beverages.

The approval process of stevia has proven its safety and Professor Midmore claims every possible test for safety was conducted and stevia passed each one. It is believed that low calorie drinks will receive an important contribution from CQUniversity due to their research in stevia. A study shows that sugar sweetened beverages may have a minimum of 1700kJ of energy and the same beverage sweetened with stevia has only 7kJ. It is believed that stevia will play an important role in fighting obesity and diabetes type II.

Hundreds of trials across many countries have shown stevia, the calorie free sweetener, is completely safe for use by anyway. FSANZ approved stevia based on the results of these studies in addition to the fact the sweetener has been used for more than 35 years by more than 90 million people in Japan and never has there been a single negative side affect reported or even suspected.

Additionally, as proven by Coke and Pepsi’s ambition, Professor Midmore believes other food and drink manufacturers will happily accept the use of stevia in their products because it is natural, safe, and above all, cheaper than sugar.

To begin with, stevia will probably make its way into beverages in Australia including milk, soft drinks, juices, and cordials. It is also planned for use in other products to reduce their sugar content including breakfast cereals, ice cream, biscuits, yogurts, and the like.

The taste of stevia is not equal to white sugar and it is considerably different. In fact, it tastes somewhat like licorice and will take time for consumers to accept it.