Stevia FAQ
What is stevia?
What is the difference between stevia and other sweeteners?
What are the health benefits of stevia?
What is the difference between a food additive and a dietary supplement?
Where is stevia approved as a food additive?
Is stevia approved for use in the United States?
Does stevia taste like sugar?
- What is stevia?
Stevia, or stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, is a type of shrub indigenous to Paraguay whose leaves have been used for more than 200 years to sweeten food and beverages. In 1931, two French chemists isolated the glycosides that give stevia its sweet taste. Today, stevia is grown commercially and used in many countries around the world as a great tasting sweetener. It is 100% natural, zero calories, and is suitable for those with diabetes.
- What is the difference between stevia and other sweeteners?
Stevia is the first 100% natural, zero calorie sweetener made from a plant. It does not include any added chemicals. GLG produces only the purest, most refined form of stevia by extracting the sweetest components and separating them from impurities. This produces a superb taste with no lingering aftertaste. Further, stevia is stable at high temperatures (thus safe for cooking purposes) and has been shown in clinical trials to have many additional health benefits.
- What are the health benefits of stevia?
Because stevia is natural and derived from the leaf of a plant, it does not contain any harmful chemicals often found in artificial sweeteners. Stevia is safe for diabetics, has been shown to help prevent tooth decay, and has even been recommended by the World Health Organization for use as a treatment for hypertension. By replacing sugar with stevia, consumers are able to decrease caloric intake, helping to reduce obesity and other associated health risks.
- What is the difference between a food additive and a dietary supplement?
The Food and Drug Administration of the United States defines a food additive as any substance whose intended use is to become a component of any food. A dietary supplement is defined as a substance intended to supplement the diet which includes such products as vitamins, herbs or other botanicals and which is generally taken as a pill, tablet, capsule, or liquid.
- Where is stevia approved as a food additive?
Currently, stevia is approved as a food additive in many countries such as the United States, China, Japan, Mexico, France, Paraguay, Korea, Brazil, Israel, Malaysia and Taiwan. In Paraguay, it has been used for over 200 years to sweeten food and beverages. In other parts of the world, stevia is very widely used and even now accounts for over 40% of the sweetener market in Japan.
- Is stevia approved for use in the United States?
Yes! On December 17, 2008 the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of high quality stevia extract in food and beverages. Currently, many companies are working to introduce products using stevia as a new sweetening solution and thereby offering consumers healthier choices while maintaining a sweet, sugar-like, all natural taste. For more information please visit our Stevia Regulatory Environment page which provides the latest updates on stevia's worldwide acceptance as the next generation of sweeteners.
- Does stevia taste like sugar?
GLG is able to produce highly refined grades of stevia that model very closely the taste of sugar. Lower grades of stevia often found on the market today sometimes leave behind a lingering aftertaste or bitter flavor due to leftover impurities in the product. GLG produces only high quality stevia to provide consumers with a lasting, consistently sweet taste.
