Relations between the U.S. and Venezuela in recent years have been, shall we say, not so good. And President Hugo Chavez is not likely to put the breaks on his heavy anti-capitalist rhetoric anytime soon. Some of his latest moves have been on the dietary front.
Chavez and his government are taking on Coca Cola and their Coke Zero product. Health Minister Jesus Mantilla has said that Coke Zero can no longer be sold in his country, and the inventory that is stocked must be removed from store shelves.
Truvia is the newest, zero-calories, natural sweetener to hit the market. Truvia was developed by Cargill and Coca-Cola. “Sweetness born from a leaf, not in a lab,” they say about the product. Truvia is made from the stevia plant, which is a native plant of South America. The stevia plant is not new and has been used as a sweetener in South America and Japan for centuries. However, in the US, thus far stevia has only been sold as a dietary supplement due to FDA concerns. The ingredient list of Truvia includes: Rebiana, Erythritol, and natural flavors.
- Ribana portion comes from the sweet leaf of the stevia plant. These leaves are picked, dried, then submerged into water, which unlocks the sweetness portion and is then purified.
- Erythritol is a naturally occurring fermented sugar alcohol (found in grapes and pears).
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