Brussels greenlights natural Latin American sweetener

November 14, 2011 in Other

Brussels gave its green light Monday to the use of the age-old natural South American sweetener, stevia, in foods and drinks across the European Union.

The European Commission said it gave approval of the natural sweetener for use in the from December 2 on the recommendation of the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA).

Stevia rebaudiana, sometimes known as sweatleaf or sugarleaf, is part of the sunflower family. Its steviol glycoside extracts can be far sweeter than sugar, making it attractive for low-carbohydrate, low-sugar foods.

Stevia is widely used in Asia and South America.

The director of the International Stevia Council welcomed the decision saying that "as a result, consumers across Europe will be able to enjoy products sweetened by steviol ."

(c) 2011 AFP

5 /5 (3 votes)  

Rank 5 /5 (3 votes)
Related Stories
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Plastic realistic: Medical students to use plastinated human bodies for anatomy learning

Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) new medical school will be pioneering the use of plastinated bodies for medical education in Singapore.

Other created 3 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Survey points out deficiencies in addictions training for medical residents

A 2012 survey of internal medicine residents at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) – one of the nation's leading teaching hospitals – found that more than half rated the training they had received in addiction and other ...

Other created 20 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Early use of tracheostomy for mechanically ventilated patients not associated with improved survival

For critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation, early tracheostomy (within the first 4 days after admission) was not associated with an improvement in the risk of death within 30 days compared to patients who ...

Other created May 21, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Decisions to forgo life support may depend heavily on the ICU where patients are treated

The decision to limit life support in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) appears to be significantly influenced by physician practices and/or the culture of the hospital, suggests new findings from researchers at the ...

Other created May 21, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

People on higher incomes are happier with new knees

Knee replacement surgery is a very common procedure. However, it does not always resolve function or pain in all the recipients of new knees. A study by Robert Barrack, MD and his colleagues from the Washington University ...

Other created May 21, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Researchers suggest boosting body's natural flu killers

A known difficulty in fighting influenza (flu) is the ability of the flu viruses to mutate and thus evade various medications that were previously found to be effective. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have ...

Regenerating spinal cord fibers may be treatment for stroke-related disabilities

A study by researchers at Henry Ford Hospital found "substantial evidence" that a regenerative process involving damaged nerve fibers in the spinal cord could hold the key to better functional recovery by most stroke victims.

The secret lives, and deaths, of neurons

As the human body fine-tunes its neurological wiring, nerve cells often must fix a faulty connection by amputating an axon—the "business end" of the neuron that sends electrical impulses to tissues or other ...

Protein preps cells to survive stress of cancer growth and chemotherapy

Scientists have uncovered a survival mechanism that occurs in breast cells that have just turned premalignant-cells on the cusp between normalcy and cancers-which may lead to new methods of stopping tumors.

Anxious men fare worse during job interviews, study finds

Nervous about that upcoming job interview? You might want to take steps to reduce your jitters, especially if you are a man.

Breakthrough on Huntington's disease

Researchers at Lund University have succeeded in preventing very early symptoms of Huntington's disease, depression and anxiety, by deactivating the mutated huntingtin protein in the brains of mice.