Cargill sees Truvia on U.S. market by year-end

Thomson Reuters 2008
Thu May 15, 2008 9:48am EDT

NEW YORK, May 15 (Reuters) - Agribusiness and commodity trading group Cargill Inc [CARG.UL] said on Thursday that it expects its natural, no-calorie sweetener to be on the U.S. market by the end of the year.

In an interview, Marcelo Montero, president of Cargill's Health and Nutrition unit, said the product, to be called Truvia, will be available this year as a tabletop sweetener.

Cargill, which has developed Truvia in partnership with Coca-Cola Co (KO.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), said it has notified U.S. health regulators of the safety of Truvia, which is made from the leaves of a shrub called stevia that is native to Paraguay. (Reporting by Martinne Geller, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)