So the hot ingredient for 2009 is stevia. Or is it Reb A? Or is it Reb A 98%? Or is it Rebiana? And for just which of the stevia-based sweeteners has FDA determined that it has no objections to on the basis of a dossier that it has reviewed? It's all so confusing.

There's no question that the hype surrounding stevia-based ingredients is fueling demand that has been pent up for years for a zero-calorie sweetener. We're seeing development in food, beverage and supplements, but the current interest has a dark side that it seems befalls many, if not all, promising ingredients. In their desire for simplicity, marketers and ultimately consumers are not neccessarily asking the right questions, merely feeding off of the general hype. There is a real risk that lesser quality products may dominate the market - with the same mouth feel and taste traditionally associated with stevia products (some would say not too pleasant), not representative of the higher quality extracts now available - just based on the heightened awareness of stevia. This may leave many consumers short and products short of meeting consumer expectations.

Companies are already misrepresenting products as Reb A. Even more frighteningly, deliberately adulterated stevia-based sweeteners are on the market, with Reb A spiked with sucralose. Most disturbingly in this sad tale is the fact that the current analytical method to analyze stevia products cannot differentiate sucralose. Think melamine everyone.

Didn't take them too long did it? Wouldn't it be a shame if these illegal activities deprived the industry of a legitimate hot new ingredient?