Stevia herbal sweetener
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
July 1 joint petition requests FDA prevent destruction of stevia-related publications by the agency's field investigators, inspectors, employees or agents. Petitioners include David Richard, author of Stevia Rebaudiana: Nature's Sweet Secret, and Julian Whitaker, would-be purchaser of Richard's and other books for sale by Arlington, Tex.-based Stevita Company. Petitioners claim the product is a dietary supplement and sale of the publications is allowed under DSHEA. The petition stems from a May 19 letter to Stevita from FDA's Dallas district office saying Stevita markets its product as a conventional food "accompanied by offending literature, cookbooks and other publications." In a June 5 follow-up letter, FDA says the books will not be destroyed, and there is no "legal impediment" to Whitaker's purchase of the books; in a June 8 letter, FDA warns the company not to "use the books to stimulate sales of Stevita brand stevia" in a manner that "causes it to be adulterated"...