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For all who use Stevia as a sweetener, please read:
Japanese Foods Under Check For Banned Sweetener
March 21, 2002
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Thailand's Food and Drug Administration will test two popular Japanese-brand foods following news reports that they contain a substance suspected of causing cancer in laboratory animals.
The Health Ministry ordered the tests on chocolate and strawberry-flavored biscuit sticks marketed under the name Pocky by the company Glico, and instant noodles made by Nissin to see if they contain the sweetener stevioside, Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said.
Since 1992, the Food and Drug Administration has banned the production, import and sale of a stevioside as tests on its safety remain inconclusive, with some studies showing it might be carcinogenic.
Stevioside is not listed as one of the ingredients in the suspect foods' label. But the test was ordered because "we should play safe," said Sudarat.
She said the result is expected to come out next week. Stevioside, 250-300 times sweeter than natural sugar, is derived from the leaves of the stevia plant, which has been used for a number of years as a sweetener in South America, Asia, Japan and China.
Singaporean media reported this week that the country's Environment Ministry had identified six Japanese products containing stevia, and authorities ordered supermarkets to remove them from their shelves.
Hong Kong authorities took note of the Singaporean action and followed suit. Both territories ban use of the sweetener.
Stevia and stevioside are not permitted for sale as food or food ingredients in the United Kingdom or elsewhere within the European Union, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration permits stevia to be imported, labeled and sold only for its approved use as a dietary supplement and in skin care.
Japanese Foods Under Check For Banned Sweetener
March 21, 2002
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Thailand's Food and Drug Administration will test two popular Japanese-brand foods following news reports that they contain a substance suspected of causing cancer in laboratory animals.
The Health Ministry ordered the tests on chocolate and strawberry-flavored biscuit sticks marketed under the name Pocky by the company Glico, and instant noodles made by Nissin to see if they contain the sweetener stevioside, Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said.
Since 1992, the Food and Drug Administration has banned the production, import and sale of a stevioside as tests on its safety remain inconclusive, with some studies showing it might be carcinogenic.
Stevioside is not listed as one of the ingredients in the suspect foods' label. But the test was ordered because "we should play safe," said Sudarat.
She said the result is expected to come out next week. Stevioside, 250-300 times sweeter than natural sugar, is derived from the leaves of the stevia plant, which has been used for a number of years as a sweetener in South America, Asia, Japan and China.
Singaporean media reported this week that the country's Environment Ministry had identified six Japanese products containing stevia, and authorities ordered supermarkets to remove them from their shelves.
Hong Kong authorities took note of the Singaporean action and followed suit. Both territories ban use of the sweetener.
Stevia and stevioside are not permitted for sale as food or food ingredients in the United Kingdom or elsewhere within the European Union, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration permits stevia to be imported, labeled and sold only for its approved use as a dietary supplement and in skin care.
