FDA GRAS "No Objection" for New Rebaudioside M

PureCircle Limited

30 December 2013

PureCircle Receives FDA GRAS "No Objection" for New Rebaudioside M Stevia Sweetener

PureCircle (LSE: PURE): Following its FDA GRAS filing in May, PureCircle, the world's leading stevia producer and marketer is pleased to announce that the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a No Objection letter for the use of PureCircle Rebaudioside M (Reb M) as a general purpose sweetener for foods and beverages in the United States. High-purity Reb M (also known as Reb X) has a closer taste to table sugar than previous stevia ingredients, allowing for deeper calorie reductions in food and beverage products, particularly those that have higher levels of sweetness. 

The discovery and development of Reb M resulted from a previously announced joint development and five-year supply agreement with The Coca-Cola Company. Together the companies are seeking global intellectual property coverage for the ingredient.

The clean, sugar-like sweetness of high-purity Reb M is appealing to consumers seeking naturally sweetened food and beverage formulations with few to no calories. Its commercialization will play an important role in extending PureCircle's breakthrough Stevia 3.0 TM innovation, which optimizes taste in stevia-sweetened foods and beverages.

The GRAS confirmation of PureCircle Reb M adds to the company's leadership position in bringing stevia innovation to the market. The investment in supply chain assets and leaf development are in place to support the commercialization of Reb M and the company has commenced trial production of the ingredient. PureCircle is excited by the opportunities Reb M presents for success within the framework of the company's Stevia 3.0 TM capabilities.