PureCircle to help eliminate 250 billion Calories from Indian Diet by 2020
Growing acceptance for plant-based, zero-calorie sweetener, Stevia in the Country
New Delhi; 20th December 2017: PureCircle (LSE: PURE), the world’s leading producer and innovator of great-tasting stevia ingredients for the global beverage and food industry, announced today it is committing to help Indian companies reduce 250 billion calories in the Indian diet by 2020. Rising obesity and diabetes rates are increasing concerns of health practitioners, government agencies and responsible companies in India.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates one person in 11 (422 million worldwide) has diabetes and predict that by 2030, diabetes will be the 7th leading cause of death. To address this, health conscious Indian consumers are determined to reduce sugar and calories in their diet.
As a plant-based, zero-calorie, sustainable and great-tasting sweetener, stevia has achieved wide global acceptance. PureCircle has invested significant funds and resources into the research and development of stevia as the next global, natural sweetener.
High-purity stevia leaf extract has gained global recognition and received regulatory safety stamps of approval. Multiple, major global regulatory organizations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health Organization’s Joint Expert Committee on Food Additive (JECFA), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), have determined high-purity stevia leaf extract to be safe for consumption by children, adults and special populations.
The approval of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in December 2015 has opened a plethora of categories that can now incorporate stevia as a sweet source.
Speaking at IDACON, 50th Annual National Conference of Indian Dietetic Association, Dr. Sidd Purkayastha, Vice President, Global Scientific & Regulatory Affairs at PureCircle said, “Ever increasing consumer desire for a natural ingredient and ‘clean’ labels have contributed to the world-wide growth of Stevia leaf extract. Stevia has no calories and has zero glycemic index and our extensive research has shown stevia is safe for all populations. Extensive safety and metabolism studies conducted by the scientific community and reviewed by major authorities led to the approval of stevia leaf extract, and supports stevia’s role in a healthy lifestyle.”
Commenting on the announcement of India goals to cut down calorie level, Senior Director and Head of South Asia at PureCircle, Mr. Ajay Chandran said,“Unlike artificial sweeteners like sucralose, aspartame or saccharine, stevia leaf extracts come from a plant. Stevia or Meethi Tulsi or Madhu Patra as it is called by Indian farmers is an ideal sweetener for Indian consumers to control calories without compromising great taste. India is a major part of our global calorie footprint. We are confident that by 2020 we will be able to help India to cut down 250 billion calories from Indian diet.”
Dr. Keith Ayoob, an internationally known nutritionist and an Associate Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, who also serves as an advisory board member for the PureCircle Stevia Institute, commented, “As a health professional, I believe offering people a wide selection of low-and-zero-sugar foods and beverages gives people a significant advantage to help them moderate their sugar intake and manage weight. The benefits of stevia are numerous: great taste, natural origin, sustainable, zero calories, zero glycemic load, and safe for the entire family, including children and pregnant women. Let’s remember that a healthy lifestyle is about moderation, balancing sugar intake and taking part in appropriate levels of exercise.”
Stevia is used as a sweetener in more than 16,000 foods and beverages around the globe today, including soft drinks, juices, waters, flavored milks, yogurts, baked goods, cereals, salad dressings, sauces, confections, tabletop sweeteners and more. When used correctly this non-nutritive sweetener can help achieve personal as well as public health goals to reduce calories and sugar intake, and improve overall health.
About PureCircle
- PureCircle is the only company that combines advanced R&D with full vertical integration from farm to high-quality, great-tasting innovative stevia sweeteners.
- The Company collaborates with farmers who grow the stevia plants and with food and beverage companies which seek to improve their low- and no-calorie formulations using a sweetener from plants.
- PureCircle will continue to: lead in research, development and innovation; produce a growing supply of multiple varieties of stevia sweeteners with sugar-like taste, using all necessary and appropriate methods of production; and be a resource and innovation partner for food and beverage companies.
- PureCircle stevia flavor modifiers work in synergy with sweeteners to improve the taste, mouthfeel and calorie profile, and enhance the cost effectiveness, of beverage and food products.
- Founded in 2002, PureCircle is continually investing in breakthrough research and development and it currently has 72 stevia-related approved patents and 200 pending.
- To meet growing demand for stevia sweeteners, PureCircle is rapidly ramping up its supply capability. It recently completed the expansion of its Malaysian stevia extract facility, increasing its capacity to supply the newer and great-tasting specialty stevia sweeteners and helping provide ever-increasing value to its customers.
- PureCircle’s shares are listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange.
- For more information, visit: www.purecircle.com
About stevia
- Given the growing global concerns about obesity and diabetes, beverage and food companies are working responsibly to reduce sugar and calories in their products, responding to both consumers and health and wellness advocates. Sweeteners from the stevia plant offer sugar-like taste and are becoming an increasingly important tool for these companies.
- Like sugar, stevia sweeteners are from plants. But unlike sugar, they enable low-calorie and zero-calorie formulations of beverages and foods.
- Stevia leaf extract is a natural-based, zero calorie, high-intensity sweetener, used by global food and beverage companies as a great-tasting zero-calorie alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners.
- Stevia is a naturally sweet plant native to South America; today, it is grown around the world, notably in Kenya, China and the US.
- The sweet-tasting parts of the stevia leaf are up to 400 times sweeter than sugar: stevia’s high-intensity sweetness means it requires far less water and land than sugar.
- Research has shown that the molecules of the stevia leaf are present and unchanged in the dried stevia leaf, through the commercial extraction and purification process, and in the final stevia leaf extract product. All major global regulatory organisations, across 65 countries, have approved the use of high-purity stevia leaf extracts in food and beverages.
For more information on the science of stevia, please visit http://purecirclesteviainstitute.com