The Stevia EU approval takes still time, so we thought we give you some information about the whole approval process:

As you probably know, Stevia is a natural zero calorie sweetener used in many products around the world, but is not currently being use in all of Europe.  This is because it has not been approved across the board just yet.  The EU Committee has recommended Stevia for approval in food and many sources believe it will soon be approved.

Recently the EU Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health did approve Stevia, which is yet another step towards its use in foods across the continent.  France has already approved Stevia for use in foods, but it is still waiting for full approval to be used in the EU.

The European Union may be the last of the major markets to use Stevia, but it looks like it is going to happen.  With a positive opinion being issues by the European Food Safety Authority on Stevia it is now even closer to being approved for use.  However, it is still some time away because of the laws that are currently in place.

It takes a good amount of time to get a new ingredient approved in the EU.  More than just a positive opinion from the EFSA is needed and the European Commission still has to approve the substance.  It can take up to a full year from this point to get it approved in the EU because all the different countries have to change their laws.  This all depends on the speed of the different administrations in charge of the laws.

The approval started in France when they made the chances in September of 2009.  It had been petitioned for approval in June of 2006 by Stevia Natura (formerly Greensweet).  The decision of the AFSSA to approve Stevia for use in France was made on a temporary basis for two years with the expectation of the European Commission to make a decision on the safety of Stevia throughout the entire European Union.

There is quite the anticipation for Stevia to be approved in the EU and the EUSTAS has already started putting together quality control plans.  A label has even been created to list the ingredients of Stevia.  This will cover solubility, pesticide residues, and purity and is aimed to ensure each batch of Stevia is safe.

The Timeline of the Status of Stevia in the EU

This entire approval process actually started back in 1997 when an application for the permission to use contents of the Stevia plant as “Novel Food” was presented to the Scientific Committee on Food of the European Commission.  The product has to be proven completely harmless to the health of the consumer, which takes time, research, and money.

In 1999 the application was denied with the following statement: “The data was not sufficient to guarantee complete harmlessness to the health.”  Many believed the disapproval, which came from Brussels contained errors.

From the year 2000 Stevia has been prohibited in the EU (source: EU Gazette; L 61/14)

After the disapproval many studies were conduction to help prove how harmless Stevia really is.  In 2004 an ADI provisional value for Stevia of being harmless to the health of the consumer was established by the JECFA.  However, in order to accomplish a definite ADI value the JECFA had to make a request for more research.

This has led to the current state of Stevia in the EU.  As countries like France approve the sweetener on a trial basis it gets closer and closer to full approval across the entire European Union.

PureCircle has even stepped up to help the approval of Stevia happen.  The company believes it is only a few months away and has announced a new headquarters in London.  The company has stated they expect Stevia to be approved as early as November (2011) and they are preparing to enter the UK marketplace with the zero calorie sweetener.

With large companies like PureCircle and many countries pushing for the approval of Stevia it cannot be all that far away.  It may not be as soon as November (2011), but it is certainly not far away.  This could affect products like Coca-Cola, Gatorade, SoBe, and Sprite since these were the most successful launches in the United States and other countries.

Update: Stevia is finally approved by the EU: Stevia EU Approval