Why was stevia banned in USA, Europe, India?

Consider a plant that is so sweet that it makes sugar taste bitter. Furthermore, it is calorie-free, acts as a tonic for the body, helps lower blood pressure, and may even aid diabetic in controlling their blood sugar levels. It’s realistic to expect health food stores around the country to sell out of this apparent natural wonder faster than they can get them in. Instead, the European Union, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have prohibited to sale and use of stevia. According to their research, stevia can cause cancer if people consume excessive doses. Due to safety concerns, stevia was banned in India, Europe, and the USA. Supporters claim that stevia is both natural and safe. They claim that it is in the artificial sweetener industry’s best interests to keep stevia off the market.

In this article, we have given brief details about why was stevia banned.

Why was Stevia banned in USA?

In 1991, the united stated Food and Drug Administration banned stevia. Studies suggested that stevia may cause cancer. Stevia can cause cancer; it was just an assumption; it is not proven that consuming stevia can cause cancer and no such disease has emerged because of this sweetener.

Moreover, further study refuted the earliest study, in 1995 Food and Drug Administration allowed stevia to be imported and sold but not as a sweetener, as a food supplement. Many companies did not accept the decision of the FDA. They wanted stevia to also be categorized similarly as an artificial sweetener as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). In December 2008, the FDA accept the argument and announced stevia as GRAS.

Truvia and PureVia, which both use rebaudioside A produced from the Stevia plant, received “no objection” certification for GRAS designation from the FDA. The FDA, on the other hand, stated that these goods are a highly refined Stevia-extract product, not stevia.

Why was stevia banned in Europe?

Because of safety concerns, the European Union has prohibited people from selling the plant stevia as a food or food ingredient. Animal investigations have shown that excessive dosages of stevia raise the risk of some cancers and male infertility, according to the Food Standards Agency. In 1999, European commission banned stevia.

At its meeting in July 2011, the European Commission’s Standing Committee (Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Protection) voted to authorize stevia extracts (steviol glycosides) for use in the European Union (EU). Steviol glycosides are the sweet components of stevia leaves that have been extracted and refined. Stevia is now approved (in 2011) in the European Union as a dietary supplement, but not as a sweetener.

Why was Stevia banned in India?

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a notification number P.15025/133/2011-PFA/FSSAI dated 26-7-11, which prohibits the use of Stevia in India. The FSSAI has BANNED Stevia from being sold in India as a food ingredient and even as a standalone product as a result of this notice. This notification is unexpected, as it appears that the FSSAI is unaware of what Stevia is. In its notification, the FSSAI also refers to Stevia as an artificial sweetener, which is incorrect.

The use of stevia, a natural sweetener, has been approved by the country’s supreme food regulator, four years after the scientific council for food additives initially recommended it.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India approved its usage in a variety of goods in a notification dated 13-7-2015. Carbonated water, dairy-based desserts, and flavored drinks, yogurts, ready-to-eat cereals, fruit nectars, and jams are among the products that fall under this category.

In carbonated water, soft drink concentrates, yoghurts, fruit nectars, dairy-based flavoured drinks, and non-carbonated water-based beverages, the FSSAI has advised up to 200 mg of steviol glycoside per kilogram. The amount of steviol glycoside in ice lollies or edible ice might be as high as 270 mg per kilogram. Dairy-based desserts and ready-to-eat cereals may contain up to 330 and 350 mg of the chemical per kilogram, respectively. Jams, jellies, and marmalades can contain up to 360 mg per kilogram of sugar.

According to the notification, chewing gum can include up to 3,500 mg of steviol glycoside per kilogram, while table-top sweeteners can contain up to seven mg per 100 mg of the component.

Country Name	Period	Reason	Banned by
USA	1991 – 1995	Causes cancer	FDA
Europe	1999 – 2011	Causes cancer	EU
India	2011 – 2015	Not a food item	FSSAI