Stevia the Holy Grail of Sweetners??

[Guest guest]

Just remember ladies this is one researcher. As my hubby always tells

me when I read things like this " who is paying him/her to do the

research. " . So come to your own conclussion.

Heidi

The U.S. FDA may soon decide the future of what some in the food

industry are calling the holy grail of sweeteners -- a low-calorie,

natural substance derived from the South American Stevia plant.

Stevia has been used in Paraguay for centuries and in Japan for

decades. It is currently available in the United States only as a

nutritional supplement. The FDA must decide whether Stevia is safe

enough to be used as an additive in processed foods, where consumers

may not realize it is there. If approved, it would likely be used in

massive quantities of processed foods and drinks.

There is some concern about Stevia. " Just because it's natural

doesn't mean that it's safe, " says son, executive

director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. " That's

why tests should be done. " Stevia may be linked to genetic mutations

in lab animals.

But Cargill, which makes a Stevia-based sweetener called Truvia, and

Merisant, which makes another named Pure Via, both said their

products are safe and are applying for FDA approval. International

scientists associated with the World Health Organization agreed that

these forms of Stevia sweeteners are safe.