SweeGen & Ingredion bring latest generation of stevia to Mexico

03 Nov 2017 --- SweeGen and Ingredion have announced that the Mexican Federal Commission of Protection of Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS), directed by Julio Sánchez and Tepoz, has approved SweeGen's latest generation sweetener, Reb M, derived from the stevia leaf for use in food and beverage categories already approved for steviol glycosides.

This comes after the review of the composition and manufacturing process of SweeGen's stevia leaf sweetener, Reb M, based on documentation presented earlier this year to the organization.

The stevia leaf sweetener, Reb M, provides the fresh sweetness of the stevia leaf, a taste similar to sugar and without a bitter aftertaste. It can be used in a variety of uses such as beverages, dairy, bakery, tabletop sweetener, confectionery, as well as food and nutritional drinks.

“We are excited to introduce our non-transgenic stevia leaf sweetener, Reb M, to Mexican food and beverage manufacturers,” says Katharina Pueller, Director of SweeGen's natural sweetener division. “Consumers increasingly require more sugar-free and low-sugar products globally, and our stevia leaf sweetener, Reb M, provides a solution that helps reduce sugar without sacrificing flavor.”

Ingredion is SweeGen's exclusive global distributor in all markets (excluding the accounts of the SweeGen parent company and the People's Republic of China, where it is a non-exclusive distributor). This collaboration allows both companies to benefit from mutual strengths and reaches a diverse number of customers in the global food and beverage industry. Ingredion introduced Reb M in Mexico during the Food Technology Summit 2017 in September.

“Now Mexico's beverage and food manufacturers can reduce sugar by using our Reb M sweetener derived from stevia leaf,” said Oscar Gutiérrez, Ingredion's Senior Global Director of Sweetener Innovation. “We are excited to market Reb M in Mexico, and SweeGen and Ingredion will continue our joint efforts to obtain regulatory approvals in other regions.”