Blue California’s Good&Sweet Reb-A Receives FDA’s Official “No Objection Letter” for Use in Food Products

Blue California’s pure Reb-A 99% surpasses industry standards and offers the opportunity to food manufacturers, all over the world, to develop food products with reduced calories without sacrificing taste.

24 Jul 2009 Blue California announced receipt of the official notification from the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) supporting the conclusion by an expert panel that Blue California’s Good&Sweet Reb-A 97% is GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe), making it possible for Good&Sweet to be used in a variety of food products. The FDA’s response does not necessarily apply to the use of other stevia products as food ingredients.

Blue California is the third company and the only manufacturer of purified Reb-A to receive the FDA’s notification, Cargill and Merisant received the FDA’s “no objection letters” in December 2008, opening the door to food and beverage companies to use the best-tasting component of the stevia leaf in food products as long as the purity is no less than 95%. Blue California’s pure Reb-A 99% surpasses industry standards and offers the opportunity to food manufacturers, all over the world, to develop food products with reduced calories without sacrificing taste.

Blue California started commercial production of this natural sweetener purified from stevia leaves in 2007 and began the GRAS self-affirmation process early in 2008. The expert panel convened by GRAS Associates concluded by December 2008 that Good&Sweet Reb-A Powder met the FDA’s safety criteria for use as a general purpose sweetener in a variety of food products for consumer use including, beverages, confectioneries, milk products, frozen dairy, snack foods, baked goods, sweet sauces, meal replacements and table-top products, among others. Blue California’s GRAS dossier was submitted to the FDA on January 19, 2009.

Good&Sweet Reb-A is offered at 99% purity, providing customers, and consumers, with the best taste and highest purity available in the market, no small accomplishment. This natural sweetener makes it possible to produce low-calorie food products and zero-calorie beverages by reducing, or eliminating, sugar content. “This is what the consumer has always wanted,” said Steven Chen, president of Blue California, “A natural sweetener with great taste and zero calories”. Good&Sweet is 400 times sweeter than sugar and less expensive than sugar when sweetening capacity is considered.

Cecilia McCollum, Blue California’s Executive Vice President, commented “We are very pleased with the FDA’s response and our company’s accomplishment. The availability of a natural sweetener that offers great taste and zero calories is of major significance to consumers everywhere. Moms can now expect less sugar in their children’s cereals and food products with reduced calories from baked goods to jellies and sauces”. The FDA had no questions about Blue California’s conclusion that Rebaudioside A purified from the leaves of S. rebaudiana (Bertoni) is GRAS under the intended conditions of use.