A natural, zero calorie sweetener is awaiting approval from the American Food and Drug Administration.
The American natural food market is growing at between 15 and 20 percent annually so calls for a natural, calorie free sweetener are becoming louder.
Brian O’Malley, President and CEO of Domino Foods Inc said on Wednesday that there is a common perception that "artificial sweeteners are not helping consumers lose weight. Healthcare (has) emerged as the new retail background."
Scott Wulff, Sourcing Director of General Mills echoed O’Malley’s feelings, adding that "there's a big push to come up with more natural sweeteners."
Cargill have developed a no calorie sweetener it is calling Truvia, which is made from compounds found in the leaves of the stevia shrub, a plant native to Paraguay.
PepsiCo also announced at the end of last month that they too will be launching a new line of drinks, initially to Latin America, also made from compounds sourced from the stevia plant.
O’Malley recognised the potential threat to traditional chemically generated sweeteners, such as Sweet ’N Low and Splenda but he did point out that Truvia and similar plant derivatives have yet to receive FDA approval. He said: "We have to wait for our country's regulatory body to say it's safe.”
PepsiCo and Cargill expect few snags in relation to the FDA approval issue. However, stevia is commonly used in countries such as Brazil, Japan and China and while it isn’t used as an ingredient in the US, it is available as a food supplement, which are are not subject to the same regulations as items specifically recognised as either foods or drugs.