The leaves of Stevia rebaudiana contain over 60 types of natural compounds, each with a varying sweetening intensity of 150-400 times greater than that of table sugar. Regardless of all debates around the risks of stevia intake, these ‘steviol glycosides’ are approved for human consumption in around 130 countries. Listed below are the stevia regulations laid by the five leading food authorities in the world.
Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
Governed by the combined initiative of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), the JECFA studied the safety of steviol glycosides between 1998-2016 and established an ‘acceptable daily intake’ (ADI) level, expressed in steviol equivalents of up to 4 mg per kg of body weight. Any recognized stevia company adheres to this ADI while manufacturing stevia for use as a food additive.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
High-quality natural stevia extract (95% minimum purity) has been granted the ‘Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) status since 2009. This entails steviol glycosides of the Rebaudiosideand Stevioside categories. Crude stevia or whole-leaf stevia, on the other hand, does not have a GRAS status and is not permitted for use as sweeteners in the US.
European Union (EU)
As per recent labeling regulations of the EU, steviol glycosides (E 960) have been renamed as ‘steviol glycosides from stevia (E 960a), and are permitted for use by stevia company in energy-reduced foods and beverages with no added sugars at specific maximum limits.
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
The EFSA gave a green signal to the use of steviol glycosides as a food additive in 2011. Their Panel on Food additives and Flavourings (FAF) also concluded that there is no toxicology concern regarding the Reb D category of glycosides, which is produced through an enzymatic bioconversion of purified stevia leaf extract using ingredients including yeast.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
Stevia was finally allowed into the Indian market as a non-nutritive sweetener by FSSAI in 2015. The use of a maximum 200 mg per kg of steviol glycoside in carbonated water, flavored soft drinks, other beverages, and dairy products was consequently approved. The FSSAI’s 2021 Amendment Regulation specified that the purity of the natural stevia extract should not be less than 95% of the total of steviol glycosides on a dried basis.
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