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The Food and Drug Administration has finally given its stamp of approval to Rebiana A –- a zero calorie, zero-carb sweetener made from the leaves of the stevia plant –- deeming it safe for use in food and drinks in the U.S.

The FDA’s blessing is especially heartening for people with weight-related health concerns, and for folks who just want to steer clear of the chemicals used in artificial sweeteners.

Stevia extract is all-natural, it can be up to 300 times sweeter than sugar; it has no carbohydrates and no calories; and it has a negligible effect on blood glucose – which is a plus for diabetics.
It also has a pleasing texture and is inexpensive to produce because – as Cargill’s marketing campaign notes – it comes from a leaf, not a lab.

Interestingly, America is behind the curve when it comes to the extract Rebiana A – also known as Reb A. It’s been available in Japan since the early 1970s, and stevia is widely used as a traditional herb in Latin America.

Here in the States, Cargill began offering Reb A as a powdered tabletop sweetener under the name Truvia last fall, and Whole Earth Sweetener Company, a subsidiary of Merisant, came out with its own version, called PureVia, around the same time.

On the heels of the FDA’s approval, Coca-Cola will soon release its first Truvia-sweetened beverages, Sprite Green and Odwalla diet juice drinks, while PepsiCo plans to use PureVia to sweeten several flavors of SoBe Lifewater.