Liz On Food

Stevia - Dietary Supplement, Now Food Ingredient

A friend recently asked me about stevia, which is a naturally sweet plant native to Central and South America. In the United States, stevia has been marketed as a dietary supplement for years because, until recently, it did not have approval as for use as a food ingredient. However, a purified extract of stevia, rebaudioside A (trade name Rebiana), was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2008 as a general purpose sweetener for use in foods. Truvia is the consumer brand for a food sweetener made from Rebiana - being marketed by Cargill and Coca-Cola. PureVia is the consumer brand for Whole Earth Sweetener Company's Rebiana, which is a supplier to PepsiCo. Both Truvia and PureVia are available as sugar packets, similar to other non-nutritive sweeteners. Several low-calorie and calorie-reduced beverages have been launched under Sprite, Odwalla, SoBe and Tropicana brands.

The plant Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is a member of the Compositae (astor or sunflower) family, which includes marigolds, dandelions, chrysanthemums, zinnias, artichokes, lettuce and endive. The sweetness in stevia comes from glycosides (technically a molecule comprised of a sugar attached to another component) that are natural constituents of the plant's leaves. In fact, stevia leaves contain at least ten different glycosides, the major ones being stevioside and rebaudioside A. Of note, the FDA food ingredient approval is for the purified extract of rebaudioside A; however, dietary supplement versions of stevia may contain other glycosides.

The regulatory history of stevia is an interesting tale. Steviol glycosides are used to sweeten a number of foods in China, Japan, and South America. Also, Stevia leaves are used to prepare sweetened tea in numerous countries. However, concerns about safety prompted the FDA to ban imports of stevia from 1991 to 1994, which ruled the herbal sweetener an "unsafe food additive." The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994 formed the impetus for the FDA to permit stevia to be marketed as a dietary supplement (not as a food additive). In 1999, the European Commission banned the use of stevia in foods marketed in the European Union. But the World Health Organization published an extensive literature review of stevioside and rebaudioside A in 2006 that concluded stevioside and rebaudioside A are not toxic or carcinogenic at levels consumed by humans. The report also noted that stevioside has shown some evidence of pharmacological effects in patients with hypertension or with type-2 diabetes but indicated more research is needed. And the potential therapeutic aspects may play into a future regulatory challenge. According to a March 16, 2009, Food Product Design article, "A Citizen’s Petition was filed with FDA in late 2008 to prevent the addition of steviol glycosides to foods because of the drug status alleged for the sweeteners. [The] FDA is also attempting to implement recent legislation that more broadly prohibits the addition of drugs to foods. FDA’s resolutions of these two matters could impact the future food uses of steviol glycosides."

In the mean time, the approval of Rebiana for use as a general purpose sweetener offers another non-nutritive sweetener option for U.S. consumers.

Backyard Vegetable Garden a Money Saver?

In the April 16, 2009, issue of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Cheapskate columnist Neal Templin takes on the economics of backyard gardening. Private pilots often joke about the $100 hamburger, approximating the cost of flying to the nearest airport for lunch. And upscale backyard gardeners may produce something akin: The $100 cucumber. The money factor in vegetable gardening makes for perennial family teasing when I start preparing the garden beds each spring. "Here we go, the most expensive vegetables in town....There goes the water bill." I take it in good humor but also look for ways to reduce costs each year, hoping I can one day add an economic justification to my long list of the benefits that come through growing a kitchen garden.

The WSJ article provides some interesting statistics taking into consideration types of produce grown, size of the garden, and capital expenses related to tools, raised beds, fencing to keep out pests and the like. Templin writes, "The nonprofit National Gardening Association just produced a study -- sponsored by ScottsMiracle-Gro Co. -- that found the average family with a vegetable garden spends just $70 a year on it and grows an estimated $600 worth of vegetables."

I'm curious to learn how my growing season spending will size up to this number. Well, fortunately, this year I decided to get serious about my garden accounting and added a line item to my Quicken budget. So I can pull my numbers quite easily. How's it looking year to date after nine continuous years of backyard gardening? So far in 2009, I'm at $216, and I still haven't even managed to move any of my seedlings outdoors. (We're having another spring snow-slush-rain storm - aahh Springtime in the Rockies.) OK, granted, we moved only a little over a year ago so I needed to start over with my irrigation system. But I already have in my possession a tiller plus a fine assortment of hoses, rakes, hoes and hand tools. The seeds, alone, were $56.

Given we live in arid Colorado, I believe I'll find that the biggest challenge to keeping my garden line item to a reasonable figure is irrigation expense (including water bills), which the east-coast-based WSJ failed to mention as a cost consideration. Colorado State University Extension recommends soaker hoses as one of several best practices for water conservation with Colorado vegetable gardens. In the past, I've used sprinkler systems, even as I realized a lot of water was lost to evaporation. Two weeks ago I covered the garden with compost ($30). (Our home-produced compost hasn't cooked quite long enough.) Earlier this week, my son and I carefully laid out two soaker hoses ($22), secured them with earth stakes ($8), and added a $40 pressure gauge and regulator to keep the water pressure at the preferred 10 psi. I expect the soaker hoses to last several seasons.

With 2008 water bills on file, I'm going to be tracking the difference between this year's and last year's water use. Assuming the weather conditions are similar between the two years, I hope to see a significant savings. I'll report back at the end of the season.

New Population Report Shakes Up Sodium Intake Advice

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) indicates two-thirds of adults in the United States are in population groups that should consume no more than 1,500 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day. The CDC reports that as of 2006, the estimated average intake of sodium for persons in the United States age 2 years and older was more than double that at 3,436 mg per day. Population groups that should limit sodium intake to 1,500 mg include persons with high blood pressure, blacks or adults over age 40.

The CDC has commissioned the National Academy of Sciences Institutes of Medicine (IOM) to develop recommended strategies for reducing sodium intake. Much of the sodium consumed in the United States comes from processed foods and foods eaten away from home. Thus, greatest improvements in sodium intake reduction are likely to come from actual modifications of these food sources or from changes in consumer behavior, for example, choosing less-processed foods, relying instead more on home cooked meals and fresh produce.

A number of food manufacturers have been reducing sodium in their products while focusing on consumer acceptability. Because sodium (usually in the form of sodium chloride or table salt) plays an important role as a flavor enhancer and many Americans have developed a taste preference for salt, foods with significantly reduced sodium may not be appealing to some people. One strategy is for manufacturers to slowly reduce sodium content over time. Another approach is to continue to work on flavor enhancing ingredients that are not sodium based, such as umami flavor constituents. Umami is now recognized as a fifth taste, joining sweet, sour, bitter and salt. Certain vegetables like peas and tomatoes, as well as mushrooms and tuna, naturally contain umami constituents. Other flavor enhancers include hydrolyzed vegetable protein and yeast extracts.

Products with salt- and sodium-related labeling claims do appeal to a significant number of consumers. According to 2008 data from The Nielsen Company, among the top four health and wellness claims by product-labeling-claim category, in terms of sales, were foods and beverages with salt- and sodium-related labeling claims. Sales reached $15.9 billion, and these sales registered behind only claims related to fat, natural ingredients, and calories, and ahead of products bearing claims about the absence of preservatives or cholesterol, or presence of whole grain.