New No-Cal Sweetener OK'd For Soft Drinks

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are set to launch the first diet drinks sweetened with stevia that have the FDA's blessing -- or at least, its lack of objections.

Stevia is a shrub native to South America. Until recently, the FDA only allowed sweeteners made from stevia to be sold as dietary supplements, not as food additives.

But now, the FDA has indicated that it has no objection to two stevia products -- Truvia and PureVia -- being used as food additives. Truvia and PureVia are already being sold as tabletop sweeteners.

Truvia was created by Coca-Cola and Cargill. Coca-Cola's first Truvia-sweetened drink is Sprite Green, a reduced-calorie soft drink that will debut in two U.S. cities this month and become more widely available in 2009, according to a Coca-Cola news release that doesn't name the two cities.

In the news release, Coca-Cola says it plans "many" other Truvia-sweetened beverages in the future, including low-calorie and zero-calorie drinks.

PureVia comes from PepsiCo and Whole Earth Sweetener Company. PepsiCo's first products containing PureVia will be zero-calorie SoBe Lifewater in three flavors (Black and Blue Berry, Fuji Apple Pear, and Yumberry Pomegranate), and a new orange juice drink called Trop50, which will contain 50% less sugar and calories than regular orange juice.

The SoBe drinks are coming "soon" and Trop50 will launch in March, PepsiCo and Whole Earth Sweetener Company state in a joint news release.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) issued a news release that says, "Shame on the Food and Drug Administration" for its decision on rebaudioside A, the stevia extract in Truvia and PureVia. The CSPI calls for further safety tests of rebaudioside A.

"It is far too soon to allow this substance in the diet sodas and juice drinks consumed by millions of people," said CSPI Executive Director Michael F. Jacobson, who calls for the FDA's decision to be reversed.
By Miranda Hitti
Reviewed by Louise Chang
?2005-2008 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved

[Bojax39]

....as for Sobe, touting your drink as a zero-call health item is nullified if you're moronic enough to switch from glass bottles to toxic ones of plastic. Thanks PepsiCo... you jerks. Can you say boycott?

[flsunjnky]

I hope you survive it too, but the FDA doesn''t have much credibility right now for good reason. Aren''t they suppose to make sure that we don''t have to worry about "surviving" something like this?

[rf35]

Every time a new sweetener comes along, there is always a cry that something is wrong with it. I''ve been drinking diet sodas all my adult life. I''ve survived saccharine, aspartame, and sucralose%u2026I%u2019m sure I%u2019ll survive this.

[kenhamlett]

CSPI. Exactly what is their interest in this matter? Is this a front for the sugar industry?
I have Stevia in my cabinets right now and it is a great substitute for sugar. The only negative is that I have heard it can have a laxative effect if you use too much. I have not had any problems in my use of it. It is about time this all natural sweetener has been brought back. It can be an asset for many.
BTW it is great for iced tea! It gives the tea a better flavor than sugar.

[whitemale08]

The ''Big Food Companies'' need to stop poisoning people with these artificial additives and preservatives.

If people would stop eating this krap then they will have less diareah, less indigestion, less weight, less prone to disease and illness.

The ''Big Food Companies'' are out to make a buck on Wall Street and doesn''t care if it poisons people in the process.

[fooducate]

A summary of how we got from sugar and honey to here:
The (un)Natural History of Sweet - From Sugar to Stevia
http://www.fooducate.com/blog/2008/12/18/the-unnatural-history-of-sweet-from-sugar-to-stevia/

[fooducate]

A summary of how we got from sugar and honey to here:
The (un)Natural History of Sweet - From Sugar to Stevia
http://www.fooducate.com/blog/2008/12/18/the-unnatural-history-of-sweet-from-sugar-to-stevia/

[lila356]

I''ve been using Stevia form the health food store for 6 years and I''m doing fine. These FDA patented so-called stevia-based sweeteners are not pure stevia. Once again the FDA and the chemical/food industry have to take everything pure and natural and turn it into a patentable chemical substance. They once told us that aspartame and splenda were safe too. They couldn''t ban stevia, and they tried, so they decided to make a profit on it. No we don''t know what the long term effects of this chemical substance will be. In the meantime you can get REAL stevia at the healthfood store.

[fooducate]

A summary of how we got from sugar and honey to here:
The (un)Natural History of Sweet - From Sugar to Stevia
http://www.fooducate.com/blog/2008/12/18/the-unnatural-history-of-sweet-from-sugar-to-stevia/

[baileyccc]

Japan has had stevia in their soft drinks for almost 40 years. Welcome to the party FDA.