Stevia

[Shred Clay]

In the U.S., Stevia is starting to become more popular. How is it in the UK?

[Shetty]

Hi
to my knowledge Stevia is banned in the European Union. I believe it is sometimes labelled as 'herbal ingredient' for dental hygiene, but I don't think it is very widely known.

Shetty

[God-Comes]

mr brown has bann it but idk y

[acluett]

Stevia, the natural sweetener used by many as a healthy alternative to aspartame, is now better than ever.

[PottyPot]

Originally Posted by Shetty

Hi
to my knowledge Stevia is banned in the European Union. I believe it is sometimes labelled as 'herbal ingredient' for dental hygiene, but I don't think it is very widely known.

Shetty

Why is it banned?

[Dave89]

Seem's Wikipedia has the answer here:-

Wikipedia: Stevia Herb

Deemed Unsafe it would appear.

dave

[airconednightmare]

how banned is 'banned'? could i still grow it for personal consumption or is cultivation illegal?

[radii8]

I think I read the other day about Stevia coming to Europe; France has I believe provisionally accepted it

France approves high Reb A stevia sweeteners

Sugar and stevia industries unite

I expect it's only a matter of time before the other European countries follow suit. The sugar industry just has to figure out how to make money from it, which it will do I have no doubt.

Here's another quote from Stevia World 2009 - Blog | Event Post| Conference Post

"The EU’s ban on stevia places it out of sync with the current global regulatory environment, but it is believed that the EU could grant approval for stevia as early as 2010.

The European Stevia Association (EUSTAS) which submitted their application to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) believes that the FDA’s decision and JECFA's announcement will influence the EFSA’s decision on stevia.

When the EU approves Stevia, it will once again create tremendous market opportunities within the stevia sector"