Sunwin to Pursue Opportunities in Europe After EC Approval of Stevia

The Stevia rebaundiana plant is used to produce zero-calorie steviol glycosides, which are up to 300 times sweeter than sucrose. This approval by the EC is a significant milestone for the Stevia industry.

Nov 17 2011 --- Sunwin International Neutraceuticals, Inc., one of the top global providers of high quality Stevia extracts including Rebaudioside A 98, announced today that management intends to aggressively pursue opportunities in Europe after the European Commission's ("EC's")recent approval of Stevia for use in the food and beverage industry.

In May of 2011 Sunwin announced a collaboration with two major companies in the flavouring and sweetener industry, operating in Europe as well as many other parts of the globe, to introduce a wide range of all natural, low calorie and no calorie sweetening solutions that contain Sunwin Stevia. The EC decision opens the door to a vast potential market for consumers seeking natural low calorie sweetening alternatives.  Management intends to work aggressively to open distribution channels in the EU in the coming quarters to expand its Stevia sales.

The Stevia rebaundiana plant is used to produce zero-calorie steviol glycosides, which are up to 300 times sweeter than sucrose. This approval by the EC is a significant milestone for the Stevia industry.  While the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) gave a positive safety opinion on steviol glycosides in April 2010 , in line with the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), which approves the use of steviol glycosides at 95% purity or above, suppliers of Stevia had to wait for formal EC approval of steviol glycosides before entering the market.

Commenting on the EC's decision, Chairman Laiwang Zhang stated, "We are extremely pleased that the EC has given the regulatory go ahead for Stevia to be used in the EU food and beverage industry.  Europe represents a vast market and we intend to work aggressively to establish European distribution of our Stevia products and work with industry leaders to develop unique products to address the needs of today's consumer seeking healthy, all natural, low calorie sweeteners."