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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 15 November 2007 |
Let's be honest for a moment. There's no question that over the years I've tweaked the FDA, Canadian, and European regulators for some of the outrageously absurd positions they've taken when it comes to alternative health and supplements. Then again, I've also praised them on those occasions that I believe they've done the right thing. But of all their positions and all their calls, none brings their credibility more into question than their position regarding stevia. Understand, I have no investment in stevia. I use it in a couple of formulas, but it is hardly essential to what I do. That said, I believe that an exploration of the regulators' position on stevia speaks volumes as to their overall position on alternative health. So, without further ado... What is stevia?  Stevia is a tropical plant native to South America. Its extract has up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar. Although some people complain of its staying power in the mouth or its sometimes licorice-like aftertaste, it is a popular natural alternative sweetener. As a sweetener, it is low glycemic and has added benefits in potentially helping to control obesity, enhance glucose tolerance, and reduce blood pressure. You would think that with this kind of pedigree, it would qualify as the perfect sugar substitute and be approved for use as an alternative sweetener everywhere. You would be half right. It is widely used throughout Asia (particularly Japan) and South America -- not so in the US, most of Europe, and Canada, where it is banned as a food additive. In the United States, and Canada it's allowed as a supplement, but not in food. In Europe, it's only allowed as an additive to animal feed.
This whole separation thing between food additives and supplements as seen in the US and Canada is actually very nebulous -- and deliberately so. Although the rulings as written by the various government agencies might appear clear, government authorities choose to interpret them as the mood suits. A good example is the recent censure of Celestial Seasonings teas. Celestial Seasonings followed the letter of the law by labeling their Zingers tea an herbal supplement and including a supplements facts panel on the label, but as it turns out, that didn't matter. To quote from the FDA notice, "Notwithstanding your use of the term 'Herbal Supplement' to identify the product and your use of a supplement facts label for nutrition labeling, your Zingers Tangerine Orange Tea is subject to regulation as a conventional food and not a dietary supplement... Therefore, your stevia-containing Zingers Tangerine Orange Tea is adulterated within the meaning of section 402(a)(2)(C) of the Act." To better understand the situation, let's take a more detailed look at stevia.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 17 November 2007 )
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FDA isn't too sweet on the use of stevia |
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 08 October 2007 |
FDA isn't too sweet on the use of stevia
The FDA sent a letter in August to the manufacturing company Hain warning about the use of the herb stevia in its food products. The Hain- Celestial group is a manufacturer of a large number of organic and natural foods and beverages, and has been adding stevia as a sweetener to some of its products, including teas.
Why all the fuss? Stevia is an herb that has been used for centuries by the natives in South America. It is derived from the plant Stevia rebaudiana and is also known as "honey yerba" and "honeyleaf."
Stevia is widely used as a noncaloric sweetener in many parts of the world and is up to 300 times as sweet as sugar. The FDA banned the import of stevia into the United States in 1991; this was controversial given that stevia was a natural substance that had been widely used for centuries with no reported significant ill effects.
The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 changed the ruling to allow the use of stevia as a food supplement available to consumers in the United States, but it still is banned as a food additive. This means that you can buy stevia to sweeten your coffee, but you cannot buy diet foods that are already sweetened with stevia.
Are there justifiable concerns about the safety of stevia? Toxicologists in the United States worry about animal studies suggesting that stevia can negatively affect fertility and may also have some carcinogenic activity. In addition, stevia may lower blood pressure and blood sugar, and may thus pose a risk for people taking medications for high blood pressure and diabetes.
In Asia, stevia is consumed in small amounts. Diet foods in the U. S., however, are consumed in massive quantities, and scientists worry about the potential level of exposure were stevia to become widely used in these foods.
Other countries agree with the U.S. position: Stevia is only permitted as a food supplement in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, and it is banned in the European Union, as well as in Hong Kong and Singapore. One of our favorite organizations, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, also cautions about the use of stevia until better safety data are available.
So what is the average consumer to do? If you choose to use stevia, use it sparingly -- no more than once or twice a day.
Why not try our usual advice -- incorporate more fruit into your diet instead of sweets, and drink water instead of sweet beverages whenever possible.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 08 October 2007 )
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FDA warns Hain of stevia use; calls herb unsafe |
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 08 October 2007 |
FDA warns Hain of stevia use; calls herb unsafe
WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - U.S. health regulators warned Hain Celestial Group Inc. about a potentially unsafe herb in some of its teas, saying it might be dangerous to blood sugar, reproductive, cardiovascular and renal systems.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent a letter to Hain, dated Aug. 17, calling the herb, a natural sweetener made from a South American herb called stevia, "an unsafe food additive." The agency released the letter on its Web site on Tuesday.
Stevia, derived from a South American herb and several hundred times sweeter than sugar but with no calories, is approved as a dietary supplement, but not as a food additive in the U.S.
Boulder, Colorado-based Hain said in a statement the FDA agreed that the company could change the products' labels to reflect that they are supplements and not food.
An FDA spokeswoman was not available for further comment.
Stevia is being eyed by big beverage makers looking for new low-calorie sweeteners. In May, Coca-Cola Co (KO.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Cargill Inc [CARG.UL] said they would work together to develop and market a new sweetener using stevia. While not approved as a food additive in the United States, stevia has been approved in a dozen other countries including Japan, China and Brazil.
The FDA letter said that although it has received requests to use stevia in food, "data and information necessary to support the safe use have been lacking."
It also said "literature reports have raised safety concerns," including those "about control of blood sugar and the effects on the reproductive, cardiovascular and renal systems."
Atlanta-based Coke spokeswoman Kari Bjorhus said the beverage giant and Cargill are working on scientifically establishing the safety of the herb.
The Celestial Seasonings-brand products cited by the FDA include the "Zingers" line of herbal teas.
The consumer group Center for Science in the Public Interest believes there is not enough data to support the safety of stevia in food.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 08 October 2007 )
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