Good news for the self consciously pudgy - now ice cream, cereals and granola may be able to give you cancer. Coca-Cola and Cargill are ready to release lines of products sweetened with rebiana, the latest low-calorie sweetener pending regulatory approval. The marketing rationale here is that as long as that calorie number on the package goes down, all is permitted (next up – low calorie bleach, low calorie gasoline). Now you can dip your trans-fat free french fries in that vanilla cookie dough blend without gaining a pound!
Coca-Cola also plans to make the obvious switch to rebiana in its soft drinks, in attempts to assuage the guilt of people who feel they need 200% of the recommended daily dose of B12 from sugar water (a market Coca-Cola now has covered courtesy of Glaceau).
Despite recent market share losses from the happy magic water and happy magic energy drink beverage categories, carbonated soft-drinks are the second most consumed food & drink item in the universe next to sandwiches, according to food industry analyst Harry Balzer at the NPD group (watch his MarketWatch commentary here).
Rebiana comes from a natural herb (the cyclohexatriene herb) and doesn’t add any calories – making it the presumed “holy grail” of sweeteners (or just the lowest calorie most sugary tasting of sweeteners).
Word on the Sweet [MarketWatch]
Posted by jshmoe , May 31, 2007 7:20PM
Wow, jumping to conclusions!
This story is about corporate
push-back against the makers
of artificial sweeteners. Its
an extract of stevia, a South
American shrub, legal in most
countries for human consumption.
Posted by Peter , Jun 02, 2007 5:48AM
As has been said, Stevia (rebiana) is an extract from a plant. The real scandal is due to pressure from sugar producers and established (politically) artificial sweetener manufacturers, stevia can only be sold a "food supplement" and has been for years at health food outlets.
Those in the know have used it as a sweetener and I myself find it a very good substitute for sugar.
Too bad it took strong arming (i.e. cash donations to political parties)by two major companies to market it as a sweetener.
Posted by VisiGoth , Jun 11, 2007 6:59PM
How the hell can Coca Cola patent this???
Posted by guest , Oct 20, 2008 10:55AM
Coca-Cola can't patent Stevia, just the process of extracting and producing the Rebiana.
My concern, all the processing may change the benefits and add some side-effects.