EverSweet receives positive safety opinion from European Food Safety Authority and UK Food Standards Agency

The joint venture between Cargill (Wayzata, MN) and dms-firmenich (Heerlen, NL), called Avansya, has announced that EverSweet stevia sweetener has received a positive safety opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA). The opinion brings the sweetener one step closer to commercialization in the European Union and UK.

To make EverSweet, fermentation is used to extract Reb M and Reb D, the sweetest and cleanest tasting components of the stevia leaf which comprise only 1% of the leaf. This process, the firms explain in a press release, reduces water usage, has a minimal impact on land, and a lower carbon footprint compared to producing acres of stevia plants. These environmental benefits were quantified in a third-party life cycle assessment. EverSweet is already available U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Final authorization from EFSA and FSA is expected in 2024.

“We are thrilled that our European customers will soon gain access to this advanced, zero-calorie sweetener, and look forward to collaborating with them to bring consumers a new generation of products that reflect their priorities around health, nutrition, indulgence, and sustainability,” said Andrew Ohmes, CEO Avansya, in a press release. “Consumers don’t want to compromise on any of these points; with EverSweet, they don’t have to – it’s the sweetness solution that brings it all together.”