FDA continues attacks on Stevia

[Guest guest]

and yet aspartame is A-Ok.....

 

 

FDA Continues Pushing Natural Herb Sweetener Stevia Out of U.S.

 

* Organic Consumers Association, 9/19/2007

 

Hain Celestial Group Inc., the maker of Celestial Seasonings teas,

received a warning from U.S. regulators that some of its powdered

drink mixes contain an unsafe herb.

 

Some Celestial Seasonings tea mixes, called Zingers to Go, contain a

South American herb, stevia, that must be removed from teh pruducts,

the Food and Drug Administration said in a warning letter posted

Tuesday on its Web site.

 

Stevia is a main staple sweetener in many countries, including Japan

and China, where it's found in multiple food products. Companies

including Coca-Cola Co. and Cargill Inc. have been developing products

that substitute stevia for artifical sweeteners like aspartame, but

the FDA currently bans any food product from containing the natural

sweetener.

 

''While FDA has received inquiries and petitions for the use of stevia

or stevia extracts in food, data and information necessary to support

the safe use have been lacking,'' according to the FDA letter. But on

the FDA's own website, a GRAS petition submitted to FDA in 1995 cited

over 900 Stevia studies, none of which indicated any safety concerns

regarding human health.

 

According to the American Herbal Products Association, " Stevia leaf is

a natural product that has been used for at least 400 years as a food

product, principally as a sweetener or other flavoring agent. None of

this common usage in foods has indicated any evidence of a safety

problem. There are no reports of any government agency in any of the

above countries indicating any public health concern whatsoever in

connection with the use of stevia in foods. "

 

The agency's letter named the company's Zingers to Go Tangerine Orange

Wave Herb Tea as containing the additive. Other flavors of the Zingers

to Go powdered drink mix also were labeled on the company's Web site

as containing stevia, according to the letter.

 

----

 

Stevia Quotes

 

" The petition cites over 120 articles about stevia written before

1958, and over 900 articles published to date. In this well-chronicled

history of stevia, no author has ever reported any adverse human

health consequences associated with consumption of stevia leaf. "

Supplement to GRAS affirmation petition no. 4G0406, submitted by the

Thomas J. Lipton Company February 3, 1995

 

" According to the Herb Research Foundation, numerous scientists, and

tens of millions of consumers throughout the world, especially in

Japan, the herb is safe and intensely sweet, which could make it a

popular noncaloric sweetener. " Rob McCaleb, president, Herb Research

Foundation, Boulder, Colo., USA

 

" ...as a scientist with over 15 years researching the safety of

stevia and of many other plants used as food or food ingredients, I

can assure that our conclusions in these various studies indicate that

stevia is safe for human consumption as per intended usage, that is,

as a sweetener. " Mauro Alvarez, Ph.D., Brazil

 

" Stevia leaf is a natural product that has been used for at least 400

years as a food product, principally as a sweetener or other flavoring

agent. None of this common usage in foods has indicated any evidence

of a safety problem. There are no reports of any government agency in

any of the above countries indicating any public health concern

whatsoever in connection with the use of stevia in foods. " Gras

affirmation petition submitted on behalf of the American Herbal

Products Association, April 23, 1992

 

" ...various extract forms of stevia have been extensively studied and

tested. These tests include acute, sub-acute, carcinogenic evaluation

and mutagenicity studies. These scientific data, while not directly

relevant or required for exemption under the common use in food

proviso, nevertheless demonstrate cumulatively that there is no safety

problem associated with the use of an extract of stevia. It appear to

be extraordinarily safe. " Introduction to GRAS affirmation petition

submitted by the American Herbal Products Association, April 23, 1992

 

" (The FDA action on stevia is) a restraint of trade to benefit the

artificial sweetener industry. " Jon Kyl ®, AZ in a 1993 letter to

former FDA Commissioner David Kessler about the 1991 stevia " import

alert. "

 

" Stevia has a political problem. " Rob McCaleb, president Herb Research

Foundation

 

" I had one guy from the FDA tell me 'if we wanted to make carrots (be)

against the law, we could do it.' " Kerry Nielson, former director of

operations at Sunrider International, discussing the 1985 FDA seizure

of his company's stevia.

 

" Even if they have reviewed these studies, the only possible way to

report that the results showed detrimental effects is by taking

information out of context. If this is the case, one concludes that

these FDA scientists are incompetent and irresponsible, or if not,

they must belong to some sort of conspiracy group to carry on a

sinister agenda against this plant with the objective to keep it away

from American consumers by attributing to it safety issues that do not

exist. " Mauro Alvarez, Ph.D., responding in a 1998 letter to the fact

that the FDA cited stevia studies he conducted as evidence that stevia

is unsafe.

--------

 

Stevia Links:

 

Read and discuss Stevia in OCA's web forum:

http://organicconsumers.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=205

 

Link to scientific studies regarding stevia:

http://www.stevia.net/safety.htm

 

FDA's updated Stevia Detention list (FDA alert indicating that food

products containing Stevia shall be detained at the border and refusal

to import):

http://www.fda.gov/ora/fiars/ora_import_ia4506.html

 

FDA Warning Letter to Celestial Seasonings:

http://www.fda.gov/foi/warning_letters/s6500c.htm

 

Link to article: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_7140.cfm

[Guest guest]

This figures really - BigPharm doesn't get any profits from the healthy!!

Aspartane has heavy side effects from which people are sick and medication

dependant big time and long term, a highly profitable situation - stevia

does no harm so isn't a viable income earner - if the world went on strike

and didn't drink Coke for a week in protest perhaps the Coke company would

have some clout in helping the cause for Stevia?

 

Jane

 

 

" michelemckeever " <michelemckeever

 

 

> and yet aspartame is A-Ok.....

>

>> FDA Continues Pushing Natural Herb Sweetener Stevia Out of U.S.

>

> * Organic Consumers Association, 9/19/2007

> Some Celestial Seasonings tea mixes, called Zingers to Go, contain a

> South American herb, stevia, that must be removed from teh pruducts,

> the Food and Drug Administration said in a warning letter posted

> Tuesday on its Web site.

>

> Stevia is a main staple sweetener in many countries, including Japan

> and China, where it's found in multiple food products. Companies

> including Coca-Cola Co. and Cargill Inc. have been developing products

> that substitute stevia for artifical sweeteners like aspartame, but

> the FDA currently bans any food product from containing the natural

> sweetener.

[Guest guest]

How's this for irony? Maybe a powerful multinational corporation will turn the

tide re the use of Stevia as an ingredient (as opposed to a separately-purchased

" food supplement " ) in the USA. (AAMOF, I'm very surprised to learn that some

Celestial Seasonings teas had Stevia as an ingredient, because that's clearly

against FDA regs.)

 

Yes, Coca Cola is rumored to have a Stevia-sweetened diet cola in the works.

And they want to be able to distribute it stateside. And what Coca Cola wants,

Coca Cola will probably eventually get. I'd imagine that they're large-enough

and powerful-enough to influence the sugar/HFCS industry lobby (after all, Coca

Cola is one of their largest customers) to the point where they will cease their

objections. The FDA will probably re-think its position shortly thereafter.

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

I just went to the FDA web site and wrote them regarding the ban on

stevia and how nutrasweet is in virtually everything including baby

food and told them how I felt about it. It only took two minutes. I

just thought it would be nice of we all took just a couple minutes to

write them, all two thousand or so of us.

[Guest guest]

I was just wondering how many of you know that aside from being an

amazin, healthy, natural sweetner, stevia is also an amazing herb in

many respects. It can actually lower blood sugar levels, lower blood

pressure and dialate the blood vessels. It is anti-bacterial, anti-

fungal, and anti-viral. It is great for skin conditions like acne and

rashes. It helps prevent cavities and even reduces inflammation.

 

It is amazing that even big american companies like coca cola are

using it for their soft drinks in Japan, but we can't have it here.

It's all because you can't put a patent on a plant.

 

Fortunately, it is still available as a herbal supplement and those

of us who know better can still make some really great sweet tea.

Hopefully someday soon, things will turn around and we will have

truly healthy sugar free drinks and foods using stevia and get the

added benefits of the herb too.

 

Go Beyond Organic - GO WILD!

 

 

, " michelemckeever "

<michelemckeever wrote:

>

> and yet aspartame is A-Ok.....

>

>

> FDA Continues Pushing Natural Herb Sweetener Stevia Out of U.S.

>

> * Organic Consumers Association, 9/19/2007

>

> Hain Celestial Group Inc., the maker of Celestial Seasonings teas,

> received a warning from U.S. regulators that some of its powdered

> drink mixes contain an unsafe herb.

>

[Guest guest]

Could you please cite the research studies that supports your claims? I am

definitely a ProPonent of Stevia and have been for years, but lets not

cloud the issues with outlandish claims.

zoe

 

> I was just wondering how many of you know that aside from being an

> amazin, healthy, natural sweetner, stevia is also an amazing herb in

> many respects. It can actually lower blood sugar levels, lower blood

> pressure and dialate the blood vessels. It is anti-bacterial, anti-

> fungal, and anti-viral. It is great for skin conditions like acne and

> rashes. It helps prevent cavities and even reduces inflammation.

 

> It is amazing that even big american companies like coca cola are

> using it for their soft drinks in Japan, but we can't have it here.

> It's all because you can't put a patent on a plant.

 

> Fortunately, it is still available as a herbal supplement and those

> of us who know better can still make some really great sweet tea.

> Hopefully someday soon, things will turn around and we will have

> truly healthy sugar free drinks and foods using stevia and get the

> added benefits of the herb too.

 

> Go Beyond Organic - GO WILD!