San Antonio, TX, SVETIA® is a stevia extracted sweetener produced by METCO FOODS INC. According to the Global Stevia Institute, stevia is continually being adopted as a zero calorie, naturally sourced ingredient in each region of the world. From 2009 to 2014, Europe had had the highest annualized growth rate (149%), leading the way as food and beverage companies strive to use plant based ingredients in new products and reformulations.
Today high purity stevia leaf extracts, scientifically called steviol glycosides, have been approved for use in more than 65 countries including Japan, Paraguay, Korea, Mexico, Taiwan, China, Russia, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, Brazil and Malaysia, among many others in both, Asia and Latin America, as well as in some African countries such as Algeria, Egypt, Gambia, Ghana, Morocco and Kenya. You can find stevia in more than 5000 foods and beverages around the globe today, including soft drinks, juices, waters, flavored milks, yogurts, baked goods, cereals, salad dressings, sauces, confections, tabletop sweeteners and more. Four billion people have now access to products containing this plant-based, zero calorie sweetener since multiple global regulatory agencies have approved the use of high purity stevia extracts.
For example, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India have issued their draft approval of steviol glycosides as a sweetener for use in eleven food and beverage categories for the Indian market. Also, the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health has approved steviol glycosides or stevia leaf extract as a sweetener for use in foods and beverages as part of the newly released Food Regulations for Sweeteners, and it is in effect since July 1, 2015. Steviol glycosides can now be used in Sri Lanka in several categories and include but not limited to: table-top sweeteners, flavored drinks, breakfast cereals, fruit nectars, flavored fermented milks, confectionary, jams, soups and desserts.
Other leading international organizations also support the safety and benefits of stevia: the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, the Calorie Control Council, the European Food Information Council, the International Food Information Council (IFIC), and the Institute of Food Science And Technology.
In Mexico, METCO was the first company to get a patent on the use of stevia. Now, METCO has successfully signed as an HEB supplier of its product SVETIA® with stevia, which you can now find in your closest HEB Store.