Zolesse is available across the U.S., Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines, Indonesia, and any other country where flavors are deemed safe by the Flavor Extract Manufacturers Association through their Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) assessment program. Since the early 1960s, expert panels from FEMA have evaluated various ingredients for their GRAS status and shared their findings with the FDA. According to the U.S. regulatory agency, the label “natural flavor” or “natural flavoring” refers to a range of natural essences or extracts derived from plants, which primarily serve as flavoring agents rather than nutritional components. If a sweetener is classified as GRAS, it does not require FDA approval as a food additive. While high-purity steviol glycosides can be incorporated into food products marketed and sold in the U.S., the FDA does not allow the use of stevia leaf or crude stevia extracts in food since they are not recognized as GRAS.
Stevia is generally more expensive than artificial sweeteners, and its bitter taste is not preferred by everyone. To cater to diverse tastes and applications, companies like PureCircle, Pyure, and Apura Ingredients have been developing branded extracts and other products made from different varieties of stevia. In 2016, Cargill launched its own branded stevia product, EverSweet. This natural sweetener has numerous advantages: it is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar, contains zero calories, is easy to produce, and can be cultivated in various environments. Additionally, being a more natural product, it aligns with the growing demand for clean labeling and transparency. Prominent companies reformulating or introducing new products with stevia include PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Danone, Kraft Heinz, Nestle, and Unilever.
The latest advancement in stevia comes from a collaboration between Sweet Green Fields and Tate & Lyle. These two firms have been partners since 2017, when Tate & Lyle became the exclusive global distributor of Sweet Green Fields’ stevia ingredient portfolio. Last year, Tate & Lyle acquired a 15% stake in Sweet Green Fields and holds an option to purchase the remainder of the company. This partnership aims to create trendy products, and developing a stevia ingredient that can be classified as a natural flavor aligns with that goal. However, not all manufacturers are eager to incorporate stevia due to its bitter taste. For instance, Petal, a sparkling beverage infused with rose water, recently removed stevia from its formulation after customer feedback and replaced it with organic agave. Coca-Cola introduced stevia to its Glaceau Vitaminwater in 2014 but reverted to sugar after receiving complaints about the flavor.
If Zolesse can effectively reduce the bitterness associated with stevia while offering a more competitive price than its rivals, it may attract interest from manufacturers of snacks, baked goods, confectionery, soft drinks, juices, and other products where a more natural sweetener and cleaner label are appealing to consumers. Additionally, products like calcium supplements, such as the Celebrate Calcium Plus 500 chewable, could benefit from the inclusion of Zolesse, potentially enhancing their marketability by promoting a more natural ingredient profile. Overall, the versatility and market demand for natural sweeteners like Zolesse could lead to exciting developments in various food and beverage categories, including those featuring Celebrate Calcium Plus 500 chewable.