FYI Herbal Tea Recall

[nesielheum]

I think that this is the same company that sells Celestial Seasoning's Teas, but I am guessing that the product that warranted the warning was a pre-packaged ready-to-drink product. At any rate, it appears as though until Stevia gets some better health grades it will remain on the taboo list as a food additive.FDA warns Hain over stevia use and calls herb unsafe (http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=healthNews&storyid=2007-09-18T150433Z_01_N18412107_RTRUKOC_0_US-FDA-STEVIA.xml) — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health regulators warned Hain Celestial Group Inc about a potentially unsafe herb in some of its herbal teas, saying it might be dangerous to blood sugar, reproductive, cardiovascular and renal systems...

[singlebarrel]

Wow, I've heard people talk about stevia, but no one every mentions that there is literature to suggest it's actually dangerous. I think I'll stick to aspartame.

Think of it this way, if people think aspartame is unsafe yet it has FDA approval...how dangerous must an artificial sweetner be to get denied by the FDA?

[SandraJean]

Thanks for posting this Tim. I have been using stevia for my coffee and I don't think I will anymore.

Sandy

[twinieten]

I had no idea the FDA thought stevia is unsafe. I can't understand why. I thought people had been using it for years without any adverse side effects.

[deemah]

I only heard about stevia for the first time a few days ago. I have been reading up on it and was contemplating trying it. I guess I will leave it alone now. Thanks for posting that, Tim.

Ruth

[ouchyk]

Tim,

Am I correct in reading that some of the Teas themselves contain stevia?

" health regulators warned Hain Celestial Group Inc about a potentially unsafe herb in some of its herbal teas, saying it might be dangerous to blood sugar, reproductive, cardiovascular and renal systems ".

"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent a letter to Hain dated August 17 calling the herb, a natural sweetener made from a South American herb called stevia, "an unsafe food additive." The agency released the letter on its Web site on Tuesday. "

I know a lot of folks that use stevia... :eek: they seem okay to me...guess I better do some label checking...

Karen

[nesielheum]

Tim,

Am I correct in reading that some of the Teas themselves contain stevia?

" health regulators warned Hain Celestial Group Inc about a potentially unsafe herb in some of its herbal teas, saying it might be dangerous to blood sugar, reproductive, cardiovascular and renal systems ".

"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent a letter to Hain dated August 17 calling the herb, a natural sweetener made from a South American herb called stevia, "an unsafe food additive." The agency released the letter on its Web site on Tuesday. "

I know a lot of folks that use stevia... :eek: they seem okay to me...guess I better do some label checking...

KarenKaren,
I don't have an answer for you. At first I thought that Celestial Seasonings must have a bottled product and that was what was being recalled. This does not appear to be the case. It seems like the stevia additive is in the tea bags :mad:
For coffee and teas, I weaned myself off of sugar and dairy many years ago, so I do not need or want any added sweetners of any kind. :( To be honest, I never noticed any type of sweetness from celestial seasoning's teas. On the contrary, the chamomile tea, which I drink on occasion, is a bit on the earthy (unsweet) side. :o
Other than the uncertainty of potential health risks, the only negative thing that I have heard about stevia is that it is sickening sweet if used in even the smallest amount. :eek: A very potent sweetener, and more than likely the reason that the soft drink industry is at the forefront of groups lobbying for stevia's approval as a food additive. :cool:
For those rare times that I crave a soda, I'll drink the real thing....sugar and all :)

[LoriASoCal]

I'm going to keep using stevia ... so there:)

[GitOverIt]

me too....I have used it since the 60's (when it was in an eye dropper bottle only) and I'm still here......76 and counting!!!
I have read that it is a political problem with the FDA and stevia...but whether it is or not I shall continue it's use!!!

would you believe that this has been an ongoing debate probably for as long as I've been using it!

http://www.stevia.net/safety.htm

this is another one....

http://www.mercola.com/2005/jan/12/rumsfeld_aspartame.htm

[BrianV]

Hmmmm, now I'm torn. I've been using stevia(from Sweetleaf (http://www.sweetleaf.com/)) for about a month now. I only use about .5g to sweeten my coffee each morning. Guess I'll need to do some more research now.

[alli]

This article (http://www.cspinet.org/nah/4_00/stevia.html) discusses the concerns the FDA has with stevia. It's a tad dated, so I don't know whether Canada and the European Union have since changed their opinion about this product.
At the bottom of the article they have some great links.

[nesielheum]

I'm going to keep using stevia ... so there:)LOL Lori,
Many people may not be aware that here in the US, stevia is readily available as a dietary supplement. I am not sure if it is available as a supplement in the other countries where it is banned as a food additive.

Alli,
Thanks for the article, it explains a lot and without hyping or trashing the product.

[alli]

Here (http://www.cspinet.org/foodsafety/additives_stevia.html) is the full page of links that followed that article I posted. Good information!! :)

[Actress]

That's scary. I drink lots of hot tea. Especially in the winter, which is rapidly approaching. C.S. has great flavors, and I would have thought the bags were free of sweeteners and everything. The reason why I use them is because I thought they were totally natural. They don't even have caffeine! That really makes me wonder what they are really putting into the stuff we consume. I will definatly be calling the company later today to get the low down on what's going on, and who/what is affected by this. Thank you all for sharing all this information.

~amber.

[deemah]

Amber,

If you do decide to call the company, please don't forget to let us know what information they give you. I'm a Bigelow tea drinker, but occasionally I drink Celestial Seasonings tea. After reading the article, my first thought was to stay clear of stevia. But now I am on the fence about using it.

Ruth

[Actress]

No problem. I will keep you all posted on what they tell me. With all the food recalls, I have no problem calling companies now and asking, and usualy they are glad to answe any and all questions.

~amber.

[bjmacc]

here's some info which may be applicable..an industry site..

http://www.confectionerynews.com/news-by-product/news.asp?id=77517&k=Sunwin-Stevia-International---sweeteners-stevia
http://www.confectionerynews.com/news-by-product/news.asp?id=77035&idCat=&k=Coca-Cola-Cargill-stevia-Rebiana

[GitOverIt]

well I read the articles.... :D all I can say ....

is...

if it gets approved!!! (big business :eek: :rolleyes: )

then money talks!

[seedoubleyou]

http://www.celestialseasonings.com/tea-health/stevia.html

[GitOverIt]

such a to-do about nothing.......
too bad they don't sell a good tea..... :D slippery elm!


Tea and Your Health
Stevia


Celestial Seasonings
The health and safety of you, our customer, is and has always been our first and foremost priority. We maintain the highest standards for the ingredients used in our products, and we are committed to full disclosure of our ingredients to ensure that you are fully informed about what you are purchasing and consuming.

Celestial Seasonings works closely with the FDA to ensure the safety and compliance of all our products on an ongoing basis. The recent issue raised by the FDA was a labeling concern relating only to stevia in our Zingers to Go™ herbal supplement products. Stevia is a dietary ingredient permitted in supplements but not in food. While Celestial Seasonings Zingers to Go have always been labeled and marketed as herbal supplements, the FDA requested that the Zingers to Go packaging more prominently display the word “supplement” and remove any verbiage that could lead a consumer to believe the product is a food. These changes are already underway and the FDA has advised us that the matter was resolved as of September 7, 2007.

In addition to our Zingers to Go line, Celestial Seasonings makes more than 90 varieties of bagged tea. Only eight of our bagged teas contain stevia. These tea packages are clearly labeled as containing stevia and are marketed as supplements. For your convenience, we have listed these eight teas below.

Celestial Seasonings is committed to delivering superior healthful, 100% natural products. You can be confident in Celestial Seasonings, and in the safety and quality of our products.

[nesielheum]

http://www.celestialseasonings.com/tea-health/stevia.htmlThanks Cat,
I wonder if they also label their products that contain stevia as being "sweetened," and those without the stevia as "unsweetened" whichever the case may be? I understand that for many, sweetened tea may be preferred, but I would think that if someone preferred sweet tea, they could add the sweetener of their choice? I don't get the deception of calling food or drink a supplement, or not labeling a product as "sweetened" when it is. Perhaps these teas taste so bad that they need to be sweetened to make them palatable? Could they put sugar in their teabags and not disclose that their product was sweetened? I'm just a little confused as to why there is a need for a sweetener in a product that is typically not sweet. Maybe I am naive and there have been sweeteners in these teas, oops supplements, all along, and I just thought that there wasn't. I really don't get the need for deception from a company that seems to be doing just fine.

[seedoubleyou]

Hey there, Tim: Honestly not sure I see any real "deception" here -- seems more like a semantics issue than anything else ... to me, anyway. I do know that MANY products (including medications) contain certain ingredients solely to offset &/or neutralize the flavor of another -- eg, a tea containing a particular ingredient that may be somewhat "bitter."

Personally don't give two hoots what's IN the tea, necessarily -- I just know that we enjoy them and, as with many others who've commented, am relieved to know that it seems we'll be able to continue enjoying them, safely. Matt loves Sleepytime; me, I prefer (Bigelow's) Sweet Dreams!!



PS: Unlike most of my fellow Texans, I don't even drink "sweet tea" (iced, regular ol' tea) -- I've always preferred it, sans sugar!! :p

[nesielheum]

I suppose that there are two things at play with the herbal teas..darn supplements :eek:
1. If they are not sweetened they taste really bad. (I would prefer to add my own sugar if you please).
2. I am naive and trust companies to put approved products in the foods that I buy. Darn there I go again, I keep forgetting that Celestial Seasoning's Teas are not food or drink. What I am buying is Celestial Seasoning's Supplements, and therein lies the deception. I don't know if I will ever be able to remember that the products that I buy off of my grocery store's shelves, in the food aisle are not really food, but something that I would expect to find on a drugstore shelf. At any rate, I like a lot of the Celestial Seasoning's Teas...arghhhhhh SUPPLEMENTS! :)

[MadCat]

I think I'll stick to aspartame.

Ha, ha, ha....you are of course joking....(aren’t you?)

I have always hated the taste of these types of sweeteners, but it is very hard to avoid them, considering they are found in loads of consumable products.......(i.e.) medicines, yogurts, chocolates, ice-creams, jams, sweets, sodas, biscuits, cereals, marketed "healthy" low-fat foods etc...

The film “Sweet Misery – A Poisoned World”, is very good starting base for those who are interested in finding out more about sweeteners.

.

[easydoesit]

Tim,

Am I correct in reading that some of the Teas themselves contain stevia?

" health regulators warned Hain Celestial Group Inc about a potentially unsafe herb in some of its herbal teas, saying it might be dangerous to blood sugar, reproductive, cardiovascular and renal systems ".

"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent a letter to Hain dated August 17 calling the herb, a natural sweetener made from a South American herb called stevia, "an unsafe food additive." The agency released the letter on its Web site on Tuesday. "

I know a lot of folks that use stevia... :eek: they seem okay to me...guess I better do some label checking...

Karen

I saw tea at the store tonight that contained stevia. I forget what brand it was.

[GitOverIt]

Darn there I go again, I keep forgetting that Celestial Seasoning's Teas are not food or drink. What I am buying is Celestial Seasoning's Supplements, and therein lies the deception. I don't know if I will ever be able to remember that the products that I buy off of my grocery store's shelves, in the food aisle are not really food, but something that I would expect to find on a drugstore shelf. At any rate, I like a lot of the Celestial Seasoning's Teas...arghhhhhh SUPPLEMENTS!

They aren't saying all their teas are supplements! only the "Zingers to Go" the other 90 are teas.....


Celestial Seasonings works closely with the FDA to ensure the safety and compliance of all our products on an ongoing basis. The recent issue raised by the FDA was a labeling concern relating only to stevia in our Zingers to Go™ herbal supplement products. Stevia is a dietary ingredient permitted in supplements but not in food. While Celestial Seasonings Zingers to Go have always been labeled and marketed as herbal supplements, the FDA requested that the Zingers to Go packaging more prominently display the word “supplement” and remove any verbiage that could lead a consumer to believe the product is a food. These changes are already underway and the FDA has advised us that the matter was resolved as of September 7, 2007.

In addition to our Zingers to Go line, Celestial Seasonings makes more than 90 varieties of bagged tea. Only eight of our bagged teas contain stevia. These tea packages are clearly labeled as containing stevia and are marketed as supplements.

[nesielheum]

I saw tea at the store tonight that contained stevia. I forget what brand it was. :p It appears as though the celestial seasoning's teas (bags) are not the items that contain the added sweetener. I was a little confused (which happens from time to time) :eek: and I was associating Zingers-to-go (processed pre-mix) with Red Zinger (herbal tea bags). The Zingers-to-go are a processed mix ala Crystal Lite, Kool-Aid etc. and I would reasonably expect to find a sweetener in these mixes. Perhaps not an illegal one :rolleyes:, but some sort of sweetener just the same.
I'll continue to brew my tea and add sweeteners to taste. :)

[seedoubleyou]

... a few of CS' tea bags DO contain stevia -- but according to their website, only 8 out of their over 90 varieties. These all appear to clearly be marketed as having some sort of "medicinal benefit" (eg, teas for cold relief, upset stomach, etc.).

Checked my pantry and none of the flavors I have on hand have it.

In addition to our Zingers to Go line, Celestial Seasonings makes more than 90 varieties of bagged tea. Only eight of our bagged teas contain stevia. These tea packages are clearly labeled as containing stevia and are marketed as supplements. For your convenience, we have listed these eight teas below.

Celestial Seasonings products containing stevia:

Diet Partner® Wellness Tea
Echinacea Complete Care® Wellness Tea
Honey Peach Ginger Wellness Tea
Throat Soothers Wellness Tea
Metabo Partner® Wellness Tea
Hispanic Honey Lemon Diet Herbal Tea
Antioxidant Plum White Tea (called Powerfully Plum™ White Tea now)
Antioxidant Green Tea

[nesielheum]

... a few of CS' tea bags DO contain stevia -- but according to their website, only 8 out of their over 90 varieties. These all appear to clearly be marketed as having some sort of "medicinal benefit" (eg, teas for cold relief, upset stomach, etc.).

Checked my pantry and none of the flavors I have on hand have it.

In addition to our Zingers to Go line, Celestial Seasonings makes more than 90 varieties of bagged tea. Only eight of our bagged teas contain stevia. These tea packages are clearly labeled as containing stevia and are marketed as supplements. For your convenience, we have listed these eight teas below.

Celestial Seasonings products containing stevia:

Diet Partner® Wellness Tea
Echinacea Complete Care® Wellness Tea
Honey Peach Ginger Wellness Tea
Throat Soothers Wellness Tea
Metabo Partner® Wellness Tea
Hispanic Honey Lemon Diet Herbal Tea
Antioxidant Plum White Tea (called Powerfully Plum™ White Tea now)
Antioxidant Green Tea LOL Cat!
Everytime I start feeling good about Celestial Seasonings Teas being unadulterated, you inform me that at least some of their tea bags contain added processed sweeteners :eek:

[seedoubleyou]

I'm sorry, Tim!!!!

Forgive me?!?!?!? :p ;)

[nesielheum]

I'm sorry, Tim!!!!

Forgive me?!?!?!? :p ;)Yes,
But you must first name this movie! :)
Matt will know right away! :p

Dr. Melik: This morning for breakfast he requested something called "wheat germ, organic honey and tiger's milk."
Dr. Aragon: [chuckling] Oh, yes. Those are the charmed substances that some years ago were thought to contain life-preserving properties.
Dr. Melik: You mean there was no deep fat? No steak or cream pies or... hot fudge?
Dr. Aragon: Those were thought to be unhealthy... precisely the opposite of what we now know to be true.
Dr. Melik: Incredible.
or
Miles Monroe: This stuff tastes awful. I could make a fortune selling it in my health food store. :)

[seedoubleyou]

I'm forgiven!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sleeper?!?!?!?!? ;)



PS: Got a chuckle outta that one -- used to LOVE me some Tiger's Milk bars when I was a kid!! :p

[AnnieB]

Well, they have been saying that there is a good side to eating chocolate and red wine. It's a start!

[deemah]

Is it true that stevia only comes in powdered and liquid form? For those who use stevia, which form do you prefer?

[GitOverIt]

it comes in small packets similar to "those other sweetners" :eek:
I get the "NOW" brand because they have the "no aftertaste" they just came out with...and it is the best of all the sweetners I've tasted (plus healthiest)
I don't use much because I have adjusted to less sweet taste in my tea and iced drinks......

I found mine at the health section of the super market

http://www.thebetterhealthstore.com/images/prod/de3373906957.gif

[deemah]

So, is the stevia in the packets a powder or small granules?

[GitOverIt]

never paid attention :D but it dissolves!

[nesielheum]

Is it true that stevia only comes in powdered and liquid form? For those who use stevia, which form do you prefer?Hi deemah,
I have not knowingly used stevia, but I am learning more about it everyday.
Most of what I find on the web is either one sided for, or against the use of this product. I would give the edge to those in favor of it, and I would guess that it will be readily available and accepted as a food additive in the near future. Just a guess on my part. Here is some info from a company that sells the stuff:

Stevioside Taste
Stevioside has been reported to have a variety of tastes by users. Some users of stevioside find it to have a grassy taste, and/or licorice taste. Some users say it has a bitter after taste. The grassy taste associated with some stevioside brands is due to the processing, type of plant, and growth cycle they use. High quality premium grade stevioside like @#!^%$*&^ has a clean, smooth taste.

Getting Pure Stevioside With Clean Taste
First of all, you have to take the time and use skill to get the taste. Producing high grade stevia plants and stevioside is something you can not rush. That's the reason most companies don't get it right. Among the factors producing a pleasant taste are the percentage of steviosides in stevioside. The method of extraction, and as with any natural product other factors including: the strain of plant, the growth period, the growth conditions, among other factors. This means that just because two brands of stevioside have say 92% stevioside they may not taste the same. :o

Many companies selling stevioside call it stevia. That is not correct. Stevia is the plant (actually it is called stevia rebaudiana bertoni)... :confused:

People Buy Stevioside In Several Forms
The popular forms of stevia are crushed or ground stevia leaf. Crushed or ground stevia leaf is green in color and generally has a strong grassy taste. It is not an extract, but pure dried stevia leaf. And stevioside a white, tan, pale yellow crystalline powder.

Pure stevioside is white powder or slightly off white in color. It is not easy to tell unless put on a white background. Stevioside below 90% generally has a tan, or yellowish color.

Some people spend a lot of money to buy stevioside liquid concentrate. Save yourself the money, you don't need to pay someone to mix water into stevioside for you. :mad:

Liquid Concentrate Recipe
Ingredients:
1 Tea spoon Stevia Extract stevioside or stevia.
3 Tablespoons of Water
Instructions:
Thoroughly mix stevia extract with water. Put into 1 ounce bottle, get eye dropper to measure in drops for use.Quoted information from: http://emperorsherbologist.com/

I cannot confirm the accuracy of the info above, but it sounded good, and without over-hyping the product.

[twinieten]

Some of what I read, and I'm sure others have too, is not so much concern over the product itself but the quantity of the product that people would consume if it was allowed to be used as a food additive, like in diet colas or other sugar free products.

[deemah]

I've also been reading quite a bit about stevia recently. I agree that the good reports about the product outweigh the bad. I never use any type of artificial sweetener or diet products with them in it because all of them have an aftertaste to me. Stevia comes from a plant. Reports say that some brands of stevia also have an aftertaste. I guess I may have to try a product that contains stevia just to form my own opinion about it.

[GitOverIt]

I had read that Coca-Cola had applied for 24 patents on stevia so went back to look for it...instead found this....

a healthy diet drink? Not for me :eek: check out Mark's thread on "8 ways soda fizzes your health" for the true toxins in diet or non diet drinks.


http://www.psoriasis.org/forum/showthread.php?t=25285


Is Coca-Cola Putting Stevia On The Fast-Track To Approval As A Sweetener?
Jimmy Moore
June 2, 2007


The following is a reprint from the blog "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb":

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/228/523944860_c3f8e4988f.jpg?v=0


Did you know Diet Coke in Japan is sweetened with the plant-based stevia?

About a year ago I blogged about the controversial all-natural sugar alternative called stevia. At the time, I lamented that stevia was not approved by the Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) to even be called a sweetener...yet! But that may be about to change if a joint venture with The Coca-Cola Company and a major food additive business has anything to say about it (and you KNOW they will because money talks!).

This USA Today story notes that Coke as well as Cargill Foods have decided to take a serious look at a sweetener they want to call rebiana (a shortened word used for Stevia Rebaudiana). Remember that name they have come up with because it's the term these companies are going to be using for stevia soon and it's been three years in the making.

For people who are livin' la vida low-carb and choose to avoid the use of the chemical-based sweeteners that dominate the marketplace, such as saccharin (Sweet 'N Low), aspartame (Nutrasweet, Equal), and sucralose (Splenda), many of us have been using stevia instead because it contains ZERO calories and carbohydrates. That's certainly impressive nutritional info for a natural alternative to sugar.

But it's gonna be a bit of an uphill battle to get stevia approved since the FDA has come down so strongly AGAINST approving it while this list of sugar alternatives get a free pass--all of which are made from chemicals. But there are still a lot of people who have concerns over the safety of these products (and I get e-mails from people ALL THE TIME about my support for Splenda--get over it already people. That stuff helped me overcome morbid obesity, so leave it be!).

As a result, that's the allure of having commercial acceptance of stevia in a popular product like Diet Coke. With crazy new product concepts like the vitamin-infused Diet Coke Plus (made with aspartame), the "calorie-burning" Enviga (also sweetened with aspartame and a touch of ACE-K), and their marketing darling of the moment Coke Zero (yep, you guessed it, sweetened with aspartame and ACE-K), this idea of making a Diet Coke with Stevia is the best thing they've come up with since my favorite sugar-free soda Diet Coke with Splenda was released to the market (although they've never given it the proper marketing IMHO!).

Interestingly, stevia IS already being used in Diet Coke--in Japan, where stevia boasts a robust 40% of the sweetener market, as well as in Brazil, China, and nine other industrialized countries. So what's taking America so long to get going with this in this country already? The FDA needs to get its head out of their backside and approve stevia as a sweetener.

Are they afraid of the competition it will give that disgusting NASTY-tame? If so, then GOOD! They should be because it's high time people have other alternatives. I'm tired of seeing Nutrasweet in EVERYTHING sugar-free/low-carb I would want to purchase. Put Splenda or stevia in some of these products already! There's a bunch of us who don't like aspartame at all!

Currently, the Coca-Cola Company has been seriously looking at this since 2004 and last week filed a total of 24 patents to begin removing the sweetest parts of stevia so they can come up with the perfect taste and blend of rebiana to be used in their future versions of Diet Coke.

It's not yet known if this new sweetener will eventually be phased in to replaced aspartame or if it will be mixed with ACE-K or other sweeteners in totally different products altogether. But clearly Coke is ready to put stevia on the fast-track to FDA approval.

As for Cargill Foods, they intend to use this stevia-based sweetener in foods like yogurt, cereal, ice cream, and other sugar-free sweet treats. This is expected to be a huge undertaking that could quite literally shake up the food and beverage industry unlike anything that has come along in the past few decades. This is long overdue in America and I can't wait to see it come.

A Cargill representative said this was a "significant investment," so don't expect them to take no for an answer from self-serving interest groups who will oppose the use of stevia in this manner to cover their bedonkadonks with the artificial sweetener companies. That's why Cargill has already begun the process of petitioning the FDA to use stevia as a food additive. It's gonna be difficult, but I'm confident they'll get approval. Stay tuned!

Although Coke is saying the stevia they have tested in several of their products has performed just as well as the aspartame and sucralose for sweetness, I'm not as convinced about it. Sure, stevia is an excellent product and I have used it myself in various forms, but the black licorice-like bitterness can be a real turn-off to some people. The blend will have to be perfect.

I'm sure if stevia finally does make it into a Diet Coke product in the next few years that they'll make it taste as sweet as possible by very likely using an ACE-K blend. It'll probably resemble the aspartame/ACE-K blends that dominate the Coca-Cola line of sugar-free products today. This will be a HUGE step in the right direction for the world's #1 beverage maker (although I wouldn't mind having more Splenda-sweetened options, too--HINT HINT!).

If rebiana becomes a household name thanks to Coke and Cargill Foods, then you can expect PepsiCo, Dannon, and other rivals in the sugar-free/low-carb market to develop their own versions of stevia-sweetened products--perhaps they'll be allowed to actually call it stevia. Actually, if they're smart, then they'll start working on this NOW!

I've long held that having an "all-natural" sweetener like stevia is already on the cutting edge and it's only a matter of time before it is as widely used in the United States just as it is in Japan today. It's not a matter of if, but when. I can't wait to try a Rebiana Coke with a green stevia leaf on the can as a logo to distinguish it from the other versions. This will be the most unique diet soda product to ever release!

Are you ready for a Diet Coke made with stevia?
http://www.commonvoice.com/article.asp?colid=7221

[twinieten]

Well, Sally, there's always that Diet Coke with vitamins added. That's healthy, right? :D LOL!

[Dulane]

Jeez-O-Pete's for all the research that has been tossed around in this discussion...did anyone get around to reading the World Health Organization's recent findings (2006) on Stevia?

The whole stevia problem in developed countries is financial. Alot of money is tied up in the chemical sweeteners and the cost of obesity.

I wish someone would evaluate the sweeteners we regularly use in comparison to stevia. I mean people are killing themselves off with this junk...and we are still squabbling about stevia.

Here's the latest from the World Health Organization...it starts on page 124...and there are almost 20 pages of findings and charts.

http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2006/9241660546_eng.pdf

Stevia is fine for you. (OK...someone somwhere must be allergic to it...please stand up and get yourself counted.)

:rolleyes: