The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Scientific Panel on additives has established an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for the low-calorie sweetener stevia, clearing the way for broader approvals of the popular ingredient as a sweetener in the European Union. The Panel has recommended an ADI of 4 mg/kg body weight/day for stevia as part of the opinion, requested by the European Commission. Stevia currently is approved as a dietary supplement in the European Union, but not for use as a sweetener.
Stevia is relatively new to the mainstream food and beverage market but has been used in South America for hundreds of years. It is derived from the Stevia rebaudiana plant, which has long been used to sweeten beverages and make tea. While the word “stevia” refers to the entire plant, only some of the components of the stevia leaf are sweet. These sweet components are called steviol glycosides. The EFSA-recommended ADI for stevia, or steviol glycosides, is consistent with the level adopted earlier by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).
ADI is an important regulatory concept which is frequently misunderstood. The ADI is a very conservative estimate of the amount of a sweetener that can safely be consumed on a daily basis over a person’s lifetime. It is not a specific point at which safety ends and possible health concerns begin. In fact, occasional intake above the ADI is not of concern.
Before rendering its opinion, EFSA’s Panel conducted a thorough assessment of both animal and human studies involving steviol glycosides and concluded, “The results of toxicological testing indicated that steviol glycosides are not genotoxic, carcinogenic, nor associated with any reproductive/developmental toxicity.”
In the U.S., steviol glycosides are used as general purpose sweeteners in foods and beverages as well as in tabletop sweeteners. For EFSA’s full report, please click here.
For more information about stevia, please visit: www.steviabenefits.org.
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