The Story of Stevia

In November 2010 I had the chance to attend an educational seminar organized by Dubai World Trade Centre in partnership with Dubai Municipality and Euromonitor International. I am glad that my question about the status of Stevia in the U.A.E has been answered. It is confirmed that there is no ban on Stevia in the U.A.E. In fact, during the seminar it was encouraging the growth of Stevia trade not only in the U.A.E but globally.

Let me do a bit of introduction on Stevia...

Stevia is a no-calorie herbal sweetener that is said to be 300 times as sweet as sugar. It grows wild in Paraguay where it has been used for hundreds of years. Nowadays, it is grown in most parts of the world.

In the early 1980s, the "Father of Stevia" Jim May took the interest on Stevia due to its health benefits. He then began to import Stevia to the U.S until the FDA enforced a ban regardless of the fact that it has been safely used for over 25 years in Japan and South America.

However, in 1994 Stevia could be sold in the U.S as "Herb and Botanical Extract". Then in 2008, the FDA has accepted Stevia as "food additive" and can be sold in the U.S as "sweetener".

Now according to a report by a food and agribusiness financial institution from the Netherlands, sales of Stevia-based sweeteners are expected to reach USD700 million within the next five years.