Stevia Goes Big Time with Truvia and PureVia

As many of you have known for the better part of a month, the FDA has approved - or not objected - to use of the herbal sweetener stevia.  Stevia has long been favored in the holistic/natural health community as a sweetener.  I’ve used it here and there.  To me, it tends to change the flavor of my coffee too much.  I prefer blue agave syrup.  Anyway…since the FDA has come out with this, I see that stevia products are being marketed.  ConAgra and Coke have Truvia on the market.  Right now, you can buy it as table-top addition – an alternative to Splenda.  Soon, Coca-Cola will begin putting Truvia in it’s beverages with “Sprite Green” and who knows what else (energy drinks, “waters” etc).  I can imagine that Truvia will be in food produced by ConAgra in the near future as well. 

Don’t discount Pepsi – they have PureVia.  In South America, Coke and Pepsi have already brought some beverages to market.  I like the marketing ploy of having it’s own brand – but I guess Coke and Pepsi own a lot of brands.  PureVia is from the “Whole Earth Sweetener Company.”  Truvia goes right after Splenda in it’s not so subtle ad “Our new sweetener is more than splendid.  It’s natural.”

I’m happy that this is coming mainstream. Why not?  It seems to me that it has to be safer than Splenda or Sweet-n-Low or that blue packet.  It seems like the war is on, though. You can’t really patent stevia, so there will be some competition making it tasteless and sweeeeet.

Watch the commercials:

Truvia Commercial

Truvia Infomercial

PureVia Infomercial