Stevia could soon make a dramatic showing in the U.S. market.  You may be surprised to learn where. BUT BEWARE! It’s not all we hoped for.

For several years, Coca Cola and Cargill (one of the world’s largest providers of food and agricultural products) have worked together to develop a Stevia-based sweetener for use as an additive in foods and beverages.  The FDA now allows Stevia as a dietary supplement only, not as a food additive.  The companies may be closer to getting the FDA approval they need to use Stevia in their products.  The brand name will be Truvia™. I would at this point say “be wary” of anything taken from nature and “patented” that just means they have had to  change the product from a naturally occuring substance to be able to patent it.

While widespread use and approval of Stevia is long overdue, there may be cause for concern.  The FDA’s oversight of Stevia as a food additive- like the FDA’s oversight of so many things – may lead to market advantages for those companies that have a lot of lobbying power (like Coca Cola and Cargill).  Coca Cola has already filed 24 patent applications covering Stevia’s use in products ranging from vitamins to cereal.  As a result, the world’s largest beverage maker may be seeking to corner the market on the natural sweetener.

Think of what WalMart has done to local retailers.  We don’t want to see the long-time champions of Stevia left in the dust just when Stevia may reach a tipping point in the marketplace.  Support the natural product companies who have provided us with Stevia for so long through thick and thin.

Stevia is a great product, but stick with the “real thing” (and I don’t mean coke).

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