Zevia/Stevia

Zero calorie soda

We have been carrying the Stevia sweetened soda called Zevia for several months now at the Coop, and it is popular. Only Zevia is not alllowed to be called a soda because the US FDA regards stevia as a supplement. It is not clear to me how Zevia has managed to exist under this ruling.

Despite the FDA's position, many people consider Stevia to be a natural sweetener. It is a plant grown widely in Paraguay and Brazil. In recent travels to South America, I have seen stevia commonly used in both of those countries. It is a popular sweetener and sold in large containers in grocery stores. Stevia is also widely used in other countries, such as Japan.

We sell stevia itself in the Aisle 4B, with the supplements. With Stevia, a little goes a long way.

The LA Times published several articles on stevia in August, detailing some of the politics of artificial sweeteners. Apparently Cargill, Pepsi and Coke are lobbying to use stevia while NutraSweet and others want to keep their hold on the diet soda market.

-Click here for more info in LA Times-