Call for comment on new type of sweetener
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is calling for comment on an application to allow an existing sweetener, steviol glycoside, from a new source in the Food Standards Code.
Acting FSANZ CEO Dr Sandra Cuthbert said the steviol glycoside is similar to a range of other steviol glycosides already permitted for use as a food additive in the Food Standards Code but uses a different method of production.
“Steviol glycosides are a type of intense sweetener sourced from the South American plant Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni (stevia), but can also be produced by different methods. If approved, this steviol glycoside would be used as a low-calorie sweetener in a range of food products,” Cuthbert said.
“FSANZ has conducted a thorough safety assessment and found no public health or safety concerns with this type of steviol glycoside.”
The naturally occurring extract has been the subject of study over the past couple of decades after concerns arose in the mid-1990s about the effects the sweetener has on human health.
Currently, the medical consensus seems to say it is safe.
The period for comment closes at 6 pm (Canberra time) 2 December 2020.
To make a submission, visit here.
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