Stevia-based sweetners

Consumers want natural low-calories sweeteners, alternatives to aspartame (Equal), sucralose (Splenda) and saccharine (Sweet'N Low). Making in-roads in grocery stores everywhere, Truvia, Stevia Extract in the Raw, Sweetleaf Stevia Plus, and PureVia are being marketed as natural zero-calorie sweeteners.

These sugar substitutes are made from parts of the stevia plant, native to Paraguay. This plant gets processed differently so the different stevia derived products will taste different.

Splenda from McNeil Nutritionals advertises it as a healthy and safe alternative to sugar because it starts with sugar that is converted to a no-calorie, non-carbohydrate sweetener.

Source: Supermarket News 2/15/10

Sugar vs HighFructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

"Efforts to position HFCS as unhealthy are a form of marketing gimmickry that will force consumers to pay more at checkout," said Audrae Erickson President of Corn Refiners Association, Washington. "Consumers are learning that a calorie is a calorie and a sugar is a sugar. They're equally caloric and handled by the body in the same way."

The Washington-based Sugar Association says that "claims that HFCS is nutritionally equal to sugar are false and misleading. While sugar is all-natural, HFCS does not exit in nature and is highly processed."

Barbara Ruhs, Bashas' registered dietitian says "HFCS serves a purpose keeping food and beverage prices lower." But she's concerned it is being over used. "It's getting out of control - it's an ingredient in almost everything," she said.

HFCS retains mositure and keeps ingredients evenly mixed. It's used in products like bran cereal and yogurt. It also enhances spice flavorings, so it's also used in sauces and marinades.

Dietitian Anne Cundiff for Hy-Vee's Supermarkets says she can see why it's used in sports drinks and other beverages. For breads and cereals, "it doesn't have a place in those products," she says.

Source:Supermarket News 2/15/10