Cargill Partners with Leading European Sugar Companies as Stevia Gains EU Approval

Cargill, the maker of Truvia sweetener and an official petitioner for the use of stevia in Europe, was notified by the European Commission of its formal approval of steviol glycosides in Europe as of November 11, 2011.

Nov 14 2011 --- The International Stevia Council has applauded the final approval of the European Commission's Regulation to authorize the use of steviol glycosides as a non-caloric sweetener in the European market.

Maria Teresa Scardigli, the Council's Executive Director, said: "The final hurdle in the regulatory process for steviol glycosides - the scrutiny of the regulation by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers - has been cleared." The regulation has been formally adopted on 11 November and will enter into force twenty days after publication in the EU Official Journal, which occurred on 12 November.

As a result, consumers across Europe will be able to enjoy products sweetened by steviol glycosides as early as 2 December 2011. The ingredient has been given the E number E960.

Steviol glycosides or purified stevia extracts are derived from the Stevia plant - a small shrub native to South America. As a member of the largest family of plants, Asteraceae or the "sunflower family", stevia is related to herbs and vegetables such as chamomile, tarragon, endive and lettuce.

Leading global food safety experts, including the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), have established that steviol glycosides are safe for all populations to consume and steviol glycosides are a suitable sweetening options for people with diabetes.

Carl Horn, President of the International Stevia Council, said: "This is a major step forward for consumer choice in Europe. Steviol glycosides are derived from a natural source, the stevia plant, and are zero-calorie. These two characteristics are key attributes for consumers searching for "better for me" products in their efforts to lead healthier life styles and manage weight. In the coming weeks and months, consumers will begin to see new products sweetened with stevia appearing on the shelves in European supermarkets. This will include a wide range of goods, including yoghurts, cereals, beverages, soft drinks, confectionary, chocolate and table top sweeteners".

Hundreds of new products are being launched each year made with stevia extracts across a wide range of countries and products from table top sweeteners to beverages.

Stevia extracts have become particularly common in Asia, South America and the United States.

Cargill’s Truvia business has announced another important step in the Pan-European rollout of the leading stevia-based sweetener. The business has signed an exclusive distribution partnership in Spain with Azucarera, the leading sugar company in Iberia. This announcement follows exclusive distribution agreements made with the leading sugar brands in Europe - CristalCo (Daddy) in France, Eridania in Italy and the Silver Spoon Company, part of Associated British Foods, in the UK and Ireland. Cargill, the maker of Truvia sweetener and an official petitioner for the use of stevia in Europe, was notified by the European Commission of its formal approval of steviol glycosides in Europe as of November 11, 2011.

These partnerships combine the expertise of Cargill in stevia with companies in each EU country that are innovative and have established market leadership and mature distribution networks.

“These partnerships mark an important stage in the growth of Truvia sweetener in Europe,” said Zanna McFerson, vice president and business director of the Truvia enterprise. “Our partners are innovators in bringing sweetness to consumers with trusted brands and strategic business relationships and are ideally suited to deliver an entirely new category to the European consumer – calorie-free sweetness from the leaf of the stevia plant.”

After less than three years on the US market, Truvia sweetener has fundamentally changed the sweetener category and contributed to the growth of a previously stagnant retail segment. The category has grown 18 percent in three years. Today, Truvia sweetener, the leading stevia-based sweetener, is the #2 sugar substitute in the US (13% percent market share - 4 weeks ending 10/1/11), surpassing both Equal (aspartame) and Sweet’N Low (saccharin) brands of artificial sweeteners.

With the European market opening, there is strong consumer demand for a new sweetening option – calorie-free and from nature. The introduction of stevia-based sweeteners represents one of the most significant category and product innovations in recent years. The leading sugar brands in each country – UK, France, Italy and Spain – have partnered with the Truvia brand to be ready to meet that consumer demand.

Under the terms of each agreement, the Truvia logo and the partner logo will appear jointly on product packaging in each country.

Azucarera Ebro is the leading sugar producer in Spain with a market share of white sugar and brown cane sugar in the region of 800,000 tons. The company is the result of a merger between several different companies over the past few years, (Sociedad General Azucarera de España, Compañía de Industrias Agrícolas y Ebro Compañía de Azúcares y Alimentación).

In Italy, Eridania, as a national sugar category leader, has a longstanding loyal consumer base with 110 years of history, and offers marketing programs to support its widespread distribution network. In France, Daddy is a 30-year-old Cristal Union brand, managed by CristalCo and one of the country’s most emblematic sugar brands. Silver Spoon is the leading sugar brand in the UK’s retail and foodservice markets.
 
In Europe, Truvia products will be introduced in cartons of 40 and 60 single-serve 1.5g sachets and 270g spoonable jars. In addition to Truvia consumer products, the ingredient, Truvia stevia leaf extract, is used by food and beverage companies in consumer packaged goods. In France, Truvia sweetener is an ingredient in the Fanta Still beverage and in Eckes-Granini fruit juices under the Réa and Joker brand names. In the U.S., Cargill has worked with companies in the food industry to formulate Truvia sweetener for use in a number of food and beverage products, including Glaceau vitaminwater Zero, Kraft Crystal Light Pure, Minute Maid Premium Pomegranate Tea, YoCrunch 100 Calorie Packs and nimble by Balance Bar.

The Truvia enterprise is comprised of both the consumer products business, Truvia sweetener, and the ingredient business, Truvia stevia leaf extract. Cargill is the only company that manages the stevia supply chain from field to table origination on two continents incorporating strong environmental, economic and social standards. The Truvia business was the first to open the category of zero calorie sweetness from nature in 2008 in the US.

The stevia approval means Merisant, a global market leader in tabletop sweeteners, will have its Stevia-based tabletop sweetener Pure Via, available to UK consumers on the 2nd of December 2011.

Pure Via will be distributed in powder, cube and stick formats, and will be available in most major retailers and specialty outlets in the UK covering 80% of food consumption in the UK.

Following a £4 million investment in Pure Via in the UK, Merisant aims for a leadership position in the UK market within its first year of launch. In France, since its Stevia-based sweeteners launched, Merisant has gained an 80% share of the Stevia-based sweetener market by value, with half of these consumers being new to the low-calorie sweetener market.

Stevia-based sweeteners are already approved for use in other markets including the US, Japan, China, Australia and France where Merisant enjoys great success.  The European market for sweeteners generates $500 million and the European market for Stevia-based sweeteners should reach an additional $100 million next year.