SAI Gold level status received by Layn Natural ingredients for monk fruit

Layn Natural Ingredients, a natural botanical ingredients and solutions manufacturer and innovator for a variety of brand involved with personal care, pets, animals, beverage, food, flavor, and nutraceuticals, announced in a recent press release that the company has obtained the Gold level status from SAI’s Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) program for their monk fruit ingredient.¹

The FSA program through the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI), was developed for third-party verification, as well as self-assessment. With the program, businesses are able to analyze, improve, and validate on-farm sustainability for their supply chains, and additionally, it is based on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). The FSA program consists of three pillars of sustainability, which are people, planet, and profit.¹

“We are honored to have our monk fruit ingredient receive the Gold level recognition on the Farm Sustainability Assessment from the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative,” said Frank Xie, President and CEO of Layn Natural Ingredients.¹ “Sustainability has always been at the heart of Layn Natural Ingredients, and this achievement reflects our ongoing commitment to responsible sourcing, environmental stewardship, and supporting farming communities. As one of the world’s largest suppliers of monk fruit, we are proud to lead by example in driving sustainable practices across the industry.”

According to the press release, the SAI platform is the “primary global value chain initiative for sustainable agriculture.”¹ It is a nonprofit network that works together with their members to help with spreading the adoption of sustainable agriculture practices, and adapt to sustainable food systems as well.

Layn Natural Ingredients stevia ingredient supply chain has received an FSA Silver status. The company is seeking to strengthen grower programs, environmental stewardship initiatives,and agronomy innovation. The plan is to also receive FSA Gold level status for their stevia ingredient.

New Sustainability Partnership

DSM-Firmenich and Layn Natural Ingredients have partnered together and launched a Sustainable Project at source. With this partnership, the two companies have analyzed both soil and water resources throughout key growing regions, oversaw farming practices using the Path2Farm tool, organized pilot farms where they would further test soil preservation, drought management strategies, and other climate-resilient methods. The best practices that have been learned are now being implemented throughout Layn Natural Ingredients’ monk fruit grower network that helps support more than 80,000 farmers, and helped play a significant role in the company receiving FSA Gold certification.

In 2017, the Layn Natural Ingredients Botanical Research & Innovation Center was created and is still moving forward to make progress towards high-performing, high-yield, monk varieties, as well as improvements for cultivation models that strengthen productivity and stability.¹ The center is orchestrated by top agricultural experts and plant scientists.

“As the world’s largest producer and innovator of monk fruit and stevia, Layn’s vertically integrated sourcing — from tissue culturing and seedling to farmer partnerships and quality control — we ensure our partners consistent quality, stable output, and sustainable agriculture,” Xie stated in the press release.¹

SteviUp M2 Plant-Based Sweetener Launched by Layn Natural Ingredients

In a July 8, 2025, press release², Layn Natural Ingredients introduced its plant-based sweetener SteviUp M2 (Reb M2), which can be used in a variety of food and beverage applications. The sweetener features a sugar-like taste, improved solubility, and compared to other steviol glycosides, less lingering sweetness. It has also been recognized by the FDA as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) for use in food and beverages as a general-purpose sweetener.

“For over two decades, Layn has been pioneering ways to revolutionize the stevia market to meet the needs of changing consumer demands,” stated Frank Xie, president & CEO of Guilin Layn Natural Ingredients, in the press release.² “We’re devoted to investing in significant R&D efforts aimed at breeding new varieties of leaf, increasing extract yield, and optimizing processes in the manufacture of stevia extracts. New high-purity exotic steviol glycosides allow for significant innovation and improved taste profiles, delivering better solutions for sugar reduction.”

Produced through enzyme-based bioconversion of purified steviol glycosides extracted from Stevia rebaudiana, SteviUp M2 provides a sustainable and scalable manufacturing process. As noted in the press release, highlighted aspects of the ingredient include enhanced water solubility compared with other stevia Reb M, sustainable sourcing, it is non-GMO, and it offers clean label transparency for brands.

References

1. Layn Natural Ingredients’ Monk Fruit Receives SAI Gold Claims through the FSA Program in the Height of Monk Fruit Harvest Season https://layncorp.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Layn-Natural-Ingredients-Recieves-FSA-Gold-Claims_DRAFT-1.pdf (accessed Dec 3, 2025).
2. McEvoy, E. Layn natural ingredients launches plant-based sweetener SteviUp m2 for food and Beverage Application https://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/view/layn-natural-ingredients-launches-plant-based-sweetener-steviup-m2-for-food-and-beverage-application (accessed Dec 3, 2025).