Everything You Need to Know About Stevia Sweeteners

Download the Stevia Fact Sheet for Consumers here Download the Stevia Face Sheet for Health Professionals here WHAT ARE STEVIA SWEETENERS? Stevia sweeteners are no-calorie sweeteners that can be used to lower one’s intake of added sugars while still providing satisfaction from enjoying the taste of something sweet. While some types of sweeteners in this category are considered low-calorie (e.g., aspartame) and others are no-calorie (e.g., stevia sweeteners, monk fruit sweeteners and sucralose), collectively they are often referred to as sugar substitutes, high-intensity sweeteners, non-nutritive sweeteners or low-calorie sweeteners. Like other no-calorie sweeteners, stevia sweeteners are intensely sweet. Stevia sweeteners range from being 200-350 times sweeter than sugar, and as such only small amounts of stevia sweeteners are needed to match the sweetness provided by sugar. Stevia sweeteners can be used by food and beverage manufacturers as an ingredient in beverages (such as diet sodas, light or low-sugar juices and flavored waters), canned fruits, condiments, dairy products (such as ice cream, flavored milk and yogurt) and other foods (such as baked goods, cereals, chocolate and other confections) and syrups. Because they are stable at high temperatures, stevia sweeteners can be used in baked goods. However, a recipe that uses stevia sweeteners in place of sugar may turn out slightly different because, in addition to sweetness, sugar plays several roles related to volume and texture in recipes but varies based on the type of recipe. Stevia sweeteners are also used in several tabletop sweeteners, such as Truvia®, Pure Via®, Stevia In The Raw®, SPLENDA® Naturals Stevia Sweetener, SweetLeaf® and Enliten®, as well as other retail products sold under store-brand names. HOW ARE STEVIA SWEETENERS PRODUCED? Stevia sweeteners are derived from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) plant, an herbal shrub native to South America. The stevia plant has been used […]

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COVID-19 and Food Safety Concerns: Results from the 2020 Food and Health Survey

Food safety concerns have been a major topic in the public conversation around COVID-19, alongside issues like the coronavirus and shopping, the coronavirus and the food supply, and the coronavirus and food deliveries. Our 2020 Food and Health Survey, which was fielded in mid-April, dug deeper into Americans’ perceptions of food safety during this unpredictable time. Here are some of the key findings. Food safety concerns during COVID-19 Food safety issues have long been a topic of interest in the Food and Health Survey, and this year our questions took on additional meaning in the context of COVID-19. For several years running, we have asked survey takers, “What, in your opinion, are the top food safety issues today?” This year, we included a new answer option: “Food handling/food preparation related to risk of COVID-19,” stemming from consumer concerns and media coverage surrounding COVID-19 exposure risk related to food and its preparation. This new option rose to the top spot for consumer food safety concerns this year, with 24% of survey takers ranking it as their number-one issue. Another 18% said that it was one of their top three concerns, landing it as the second-most important overall issue, behind foodborne illness from bacteria (which 20% ranked as number one and 32% ranked as two or three). The high concern related to COVID-19 and food safety corresponded with a decline in concern over other food safety issues, including foodborne illness in bacteria, chemicals in food, carcinogens in foods and pesticides/pesticide residues on food. While it is clear that consumers are worried about COVID-19 in the context of food safety, we want to emphasize that there have been no cases of COVID-19 traced back to the food supply and that experts agree that the risk of encountering the virus on food packaging is […]

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Food Allergens

Food allergens affect millions of individuals and families every day. Whether you're helping consumers understand allergen labeling or answering questions about the major food allergens, this toolkit provides clear, science-based resources. Use it to stay informed, share accurate information and help manage food allergies with greater confidence.

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A Reminder on Food Recalls and Food Safety

We expect food to be safe when making purchases at grocery stores and dining in restaurants. In fact, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation’s 2019 Food and Health Survey found that approximately 70 percent of consumers are somewhat or very confident in the safety of our food supply. However, we sometimes face that all-too-familiar yet oddly puzzling term, “food recall,” in the media. Many of us may wonder, “How could this happen?” or “Why isn’t my food safe?” But a food recall doesn’t mean we should lack trust in the safety of our food system. Let’s take a closer look at what a recall is and what to do when our food is recalled. Spoiler alert: The answer is not to panic! What is a food recall? A food recall is the removal of a food product from the marketplace due to a potential hazard in that product. These hazards might include contamination by a bacteria like Salmonella or Listeria; the presence of a physical contaminant like broken glass or metal; or improper labeling of a common allergen as an ingredient. Ben Chapman,PhD, a professor and food safety extension specialist at North Carolina State University, spoke with the IFIC Foundation and notes that the most common type of recall is this third type: mislabeling, which generally is not an issue for consumers without food allergies. Bacterial contamination is the next most common cause of recalls. However, Dr. Chapman points out that bacteria-based recalls are not necessarily the result of increased contamination; instead they’re a reflection of better food production. “The more we look for Listeria, the more we’re going to find it,” Chapman says. That is, improvements in detection methods and technology in food manufacturing have been able to detect harmful bacteria sooner, often before too many (if any) […]

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Lead Fast Facts

Putting Lead In Food Into Perspective: What You Need To Know  The presence of heavy metals in food is not new. Lead, like most heavy metals, is naturally occurring and can be detected at trace levels in food. Heavy metals are found in soil, water, and air; they are not added to food. While lead may be detected in some plant-based foods, exposure remains extremely low. Still, overexposure to lead can cause adverse health effects.    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and global regulators set safety limits for lead and other heavy metals in food and water. U.S. initiatives like FDA’s Closer To Zero program are actively working to reduce exposure to lead for all ages.    To further reduce exposure to lead and other heavy metals through food as well as promote good health and nutrition, consumers should continue to eat a variety of nutrient-dense foods across and within the main food groups of vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy, and proteins.   What Is Lead?  Lead is a naturally occurring metal found in the Earth’s crust. Its industrial uses have made lead widespread in air, soil, water, and older homes.  How Are Consumers Exposed To Lead?  Historically, lead was widely used in products like gasoline, paint, plumbing, ceramics, batteries, and cosmetics. Over time, U.S. regulations, including a lead paint ban in 1978 and the elimination of leaded gas in 1996, significantly reduced its use. However, exposure persists today through various sources. While lead production facilities were once common, there are very few in the U.S. today. Lead dust remains a common issue in older homes with lead-based paint. As the paint chips or deteriorates, it creates airborne dust that can be inhaled or ingested. Soil contamination, another significant source, results from past use of leaded gasoline and industrial emissions, with lead […]

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Whole Grains Fact Sheet

Download the Whole Grains Fact Sheet here Grains have been known as the “staff of life” for thousands of years, serving as a vital food source for humans. Today, foods made with whole grains are recognized as important sources of nutrients like fiber, trace minerals, and certain vitamins and phytochemicals that are not restored through traditional grain enrichment and fortification practices. These components are believed to play a key role in reducing risk of disease. Research shows that healthful diets rich in whole grain foods may play a part in reducing risks of heart disease, certain types of cancer and type 2 diabetes. They may also help in managing body weight.¹ Whole grains are composed of three plant components: the bran, the germ and the endosperm. In the last century, advances in the milling and processing of grains have allowed for the large–scale separation and removal of the bran and germ, resulting in refined flour that consists only of the endosperm. Refined flour has become popular because it produces baked goods with a softer texture and extended freshness. However, removing much of the bran and germ results in losses of fiber, B vitamins, vitamin E, trace minerals, protein, unsaturated fat and about 75 percent of phytochemicals, which are substances in plant-based foods with physiologically active components that may have functional health benefits. To correct for some of these losses, the process of enrichment began in the early 1940s to restore some B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin and niacin) and the mineral iron to flour.² Since 1998, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has required enriched grain products to also be fortified with folic acid, the synthetic form of the B vitamin folate, to help women of childbearing age reduce the risk of having a pregnancy affected with a neural tube […]

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What You Should Know About Approved Food Additives

Download the Food Additives Fact Sheet here What are food additives? A food additive is an ingredient added to a food to perform a specific function. Additives include substances that are added directly to foods and beverages (known as direct food additives), as well as those that become a part of food in trace amounts due to processing, packaging, shipping or storage (known as indirect food additives). In the U.S., food additives are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are listed in the ingredient list on a product’s label. The Functions of Food Additives Why are food additives used? Food additives provide a specific function in a wide variety of foods—in particular, in maintaining or improving their safety, freshness, taste, texture, appearance or nutritional value. Below are some more specific reasons for why food additives are used: To maintain or improve safety and freshness Food additives known as preservatives slow product spoilage caused by mold, air, bacteria, fungi or yeast. In addition to maintaining the quality of the food, they help control contamination that can cause foodborne illness, including life-threatening botulism. One group of preservatives—antioxidants—prevents fats, oils and the foods containing them from becoming rancid or developing an off flavor. They also prevent cut fresh fruits such as apple slices from turning brown when exposed to air. To improve or maintain nutritional value Vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber are added to many foods to make up for cases in which those nutrients are lacking in a person’s diet or in which they are lost in food processing, or to otherwise enhance the nutritional quality of a food. Such fortification and enrichment have helped prevent and reduce malnutrition in the U.S. and many other countries worldwide. All products containing added nutrients must be appropriately labeled. To improve […]

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Labeling That Saves Lives: Understanding FALCPA

There’s nothing easy about living with food allergies. Having one or multiple food allergies can make grocery shopping, grab-n-go snacks, and casual lunch dates tricky if not confusing and frustrating — especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when, according to IFIC consumer data, “21% [of survey respondents] said that they were worried about their ability to provide enough food for their family.” Under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the U.S. food regulatory system ensures that our food supply is safe from microbial, chemical and other potential risks. But what about allergen risk? How do you know if an allergen is in your favorite foods? Thanks to the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA), we can all rest a little easier and have confidence in our food choices, even with food allergies. What is FALCPA? FALCPA is the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act. Congress passed FALCPA in 2006 as a way for consumers to easily recognize the presence of allergens in food. It makes grocery shopping a little less stressful in many ways because consumers can see which foods contain allergens and which do not. The law requires food companies to list—directly on food packages—each of the eight major food allergens they contain. This means that you can find any food containing milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans clearly marked on packages. According to the FDA, “More than 160 foods have been identified to cause food allergies in sensitive individuals. However, the eight major food allergens identified by FALCPA account for over 90 percent of all documented food allergies in the U.S. and represent the foods most likely to result in severe or life-threatening reactions.” What about sesame? Sesame labeling is not required under FALCPA, even though more and more Americans are […]

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