The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has approved two new sweeteners used by Coke and Pepsi: Truvia (developed by Coca Cola) and PureVia (developed by Pepsi).
The New York Times reported that both Pepsi and Coca Cola had received letters from the FDA notifying them that the FDA had no objection to each product and considered it generally safe.
According to the New York Times:
This week, Coca-Cola said it would begin selling products made with the new zero-calorie sweetener despite not yet receiving the official word from the government.
PepsiCo said it would not follow suit until the F.D.A. issued the designation.
Both companies are planning to extend their ranges of diet and “zero” drinks using the new sweeteners. Truvia and PureVia both have rebiana as an ingredient – an extract from the stevia plant, meaning that both the sweeteners are natural rather than artificially created.
Stevia has a low impact on blood sugar level (unlike glucose) and extracts can be up to 300 times sweeter than sugar.
More like this in Science Dec 30, 2008
feeds.feedburner.com
