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Consumer advocates are slamming Coca Cola Co. for plans to begin selling three Odwalla drinks containing the zero-calorie sweetener stevia as early as this week, even though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet deemed it safe, the Wall Street Journal reports. Coke rival PepsiCo, meanwhile, says it will wait for FDA okay before selling its stevia beverages Trop 50 and SoBe Life Water, according to the Associated Press.

Stevia is actually a shrub that grows in Paraquay and Brazil; an extract from it known as rebaudioside A is being touted by foodies as the "Holy Grail" of sugar subs because it's 300 times sweeter than the real thing and just as natural sans the calories. Other low or no-cal sugar alternatives such as aspartame (Equal and NutraSweet) saccharin (Sweet'N Low) and sucralose (Splenda) are artificial products.

Stevia is used in foods in a dozen countries, including Japan, according to Forbes.

The FDA is currently weighing the evidence to determine if stevia safe, but companies interested in using it are not required to await the results before marketing products containing it, according to agency spokesperson Stephanie Kwisnek.

Stevia extracts currently are available in the U.S. as  supplements that can be added to sweeten drinks and foods but the Coca Cola Corp.'s beverages would be the first  commercial products in the U.S. that contain them.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) urged the FDA to bar the sale of products containing stevia until more safety studies are done. The Washington, D.C.–based advocacy group cited a report conducted by toxicologists at the University of California, Los Angeles, in August indicating that stevia might cause DNA damage in rats.

"Stevia and rebaudioside A may well turn out to be entirely safe. But until more tests have been conducted and analyzed, it is reckless for food companies to begin adding it willy-nilly to the food supply and equally reckless for the FDA to stand by mutely," CSPI executive director Michael Jacobson said in a statement. "The FDA should immediately order those products off the market until all the safety testing has been done."

A Coca Cola spokesperson declined to comment on the controversy or to confirm reports that it plans to release the three drinks containing stevia this week.


Image credit ©iStockphoto.com/Rami Benami

9 Comments

1. 1. waynejj51 09:35 PM 12/16/08

   Is the writer of this article working for the companies that produce Aspartame or Sucrose or is the writer simply against natural products. If it is and has been available for years in other countries, is there no research recognized as valuable or is the FDA the only recognized expert. The FDA, what a laugh... add that to the vague reference to an inconclusive DNA study and the credibility vanishes.

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2. 2. Rogeregon 10:00 PM 12/16/08

   I agree Wayne, I can't help but think this is much like the way our multi-billionaire pharmaceutical companies prevent medical use of natural herbal remedies, even though doctors in Europe and other parts of the world have been doing so for years.
   
   Why would they want to allow cheap remedies, that people can grow at home, our pay very little for in their supermarket or health food store, when they are making massive profits selling medicines that cause many side effects, which require more medicines, etc.?
   
   A good example is ginger, which is far superior to any motion sickness medicine out there! It works better and is cheaper and no one is able to make a huge profit on it!

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3. 3. Latif Harris in reply to waynejj51 01:47 PM 12/17/08

   Have been using Stevia in all things which need sugar for 4 years and have not had any side effects whatsoever. The only possible problem is that it is a fine powder which might be breathed through the nose when it gets airborne. I would suggest folks not sniff it! When it does get in nose even in small doses it fills my senses with its sweet qualities which are quite profound. Do not care what F>D>A says or does (we know what a corrupt organizition it has become approving dangerous drugs created by the mega-cabal of major drug companies while dragging its feet on certain H>I>V drugs). This is a potential revolution for many of us who cannot use sugar in any form, i.e., alcohol- sugars and corn sweeteners which claim to be safer than regular sugar. What a relief for diabetes patients! As usual with whole food companies who sell it the price is prohibitive for most people, but it can be order in large quantities directly. You need to try it in different forms before you find the one that suits your taste buds. Beware that some producers are adding 1 gram of sugar to their product.
   
   

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4. 4. nosomething 09:47 PM 12/17/08

   I LOVE STEVIA. I would be very happy to have a reliable agency give the
   safety green light to this product. I have had no side effects, and have been
   using stevia for approx. 7 years. For the past two yrs. I have switched to
   extract --it dissolves easily and leaves no aftertaste. I believe it to be safe
   due to my long time use and no side effects. But I always love to read a
   trust worthy evaluation.

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5. 5. frankr 11:01 PM 12/23/08

   Every thing is a conspiracy these days. If problems turn up in the future we will then complain that the FDA didn't do something to prevent its use in this country. I hope Stevia isn't made in China.

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6. 6. ilris 10:27 AM 1/7/09

   I expect articles like this to show up in the local newspaper, or cheap local television. "But is it safe?" Implies that there are significant concerns about the product's safety. However there is only one study cited, by a organization that is considered controversial in the food industry. Instead of bringing up baseless drama like a cheap tabloid, how about some solid references and expert comments like I would expect out of Scientific American.

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7. 7. stevia_rocks 08:42 AM 2/18/09

   Stevia is absolutely safe. Indeed it is safer than Sugar if you consider the obesity and diabetes which are result of Sugar. visit <a href="www.stevia.co.in">stevia india</a> for more details on stevia safety.

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8. 8. jdb525 11:24 AM 3/31/09

   I use Stevia Extract in the Raw for everything! To sweeten my drinks to baking. There's no aftertaste and its all natural with zero calories. I use their site for some recipes - you should check it out. www.steviaextractintheraw.com
   
   

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9. 9. alexcruz8ac 02:17 AM 6/3/10

   Aspartame at body temperatures has been shown to turn into formaldehyde, toxic chemical our body does not absorb well and has been linked to the growing number of cancer diagnosis in the last 30 years since aspartame was first introduced and crammed into out food supply.  This is the reason in Japan, stevia is 40% of the sweetener market, and if you buy a diet coke, its stevia no aspartame that is used to sweeten it.Aspartame can not be used for cooking, and simply it is just bad.Cid Botanicals stevia is the only stevia I've found that is from where the plant is originally from, Paraguay! I my myself thinking to switch over to Cid Botanicals Stevia. Try out: www.cidbotanicals.com
   

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