Lab Tests Point to Problems with Trendy New Stevia Sweetener

Coca-Cola and Pepsi are planning to introduce new drinks made with rebiana, an extract of stevia leaves that is 200 times sweeter than sugar. But according to a new 26-page report by toxicologists at the University of California, Los Angeles, several, though not all, laboratory tests show that the sweetener causes mutations and DNA damage, which raises the prospect that it causes cancer. In a letter to the Food and Drug Administration, the Center for Science in the Public Interest says the agency should require additional tests, including a key animal study, before accepting rebiana as Generally Regarded as Safe, or GRAS. .

By CSPI, USA.

Health Policy Resource.

Local and State Governments Call for Federal Action to Reduce Salt Levels in Food

With high-salt diets increasingly being recognized as a major cause of high blood pressure, heart attacks, and strokes, health officials from around the country have called on the Food and Drug Administration to press food manufacturers and restaurants to cut back on salt. The comments were made in response to the FDA’s request for public input on a petition filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest urging the agency to revoke the "generally recognized as safe," or GRAS, status of salt and to limit sodium levels in various food categories. .

By CSPI, USA.

Health Policy Resource.