Stevia World 2009, May 14th & 15th - Update on the status of the European approval of stevia as a food additive

Stevia World 2009, taking place this week in Shanghai, is the first global stevia-related event. It gathers all major market players, government officials, scientists and investors. A wide range of topics will be covered, from cultivation and extraction to discussions on quality, market potential and product applications.

Carl Horn af Rantzien, Director of Regulatory Affairs at EUSTAS, the European Stevia Association, and founder of the Swedish stevia producer Granular, has been invited to provide an update on the regulatory status of stevia in Europe.

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoniis a small bush from the sunflower (Asteraceae) family, native to the rainforests of Eastern Paraguay. Stevia has been used since pre-Columbian times by the Guarani Indians in Paraguay to sweeten their bitter herbal tea, "Yerba Maté". Today, stevia is grown in many countries around the world, and its purified extracts have been extensively used as food additives in Japan, China and Brazil for fourty years. It has been recently approved in Switzerland, Autralia and New Zealand and in the US as a food ingredient. It is not yet approved in the EU.

Carl will be moderating part of the event and Lucy Dahlgren, Project Director for Granular, will also be presenting a topic titled : ‘Towards sustainable, environmentally friendly stevia processing'. Lucy is responsible for refinery construction projects at Granular, currently focusing on the next refineries in China and Paraguay. Two facilities which are being designed for zero environmental impact.

Read the Stevia World 2009 programme on http://www.steviaworldforum.com/conference-schedule/