Avansya, the joint venture between Cargill and dsm-firmenich, today announced that the EverSweet stevia sweetener has received a positive safety opinion from both the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA), bringing the advanced sweetener one step closer to commercial availability in the European Union and UK.

EverSweet stevia sweetener brings to life the sweetest and cleanest tasting components of the stevia leaf: steviol glycosides Reb M and Reb D. It allows for significant reduction in sugars while maintaining a high-quality sweet taste for reduced and zero calorie food and beverages, enabling food manufacturers to meet the rising demand for healthful and sustainable products. EverSweet is created through advanced fermentation methods, resulting in reduced water usage, minimal land use impact, and a lower carbon footprint versus producing it by growing acres of plants.

Avansya has quantified the sweetener’s environmental benefits through consecutive, third party-verified life cycle assessments. Results showed that the sweetener has impressive sustainability advantages over sugar, with 96% lower land-use-related impacts, 97% less water usage, and 81% reduction in carbon footprint. Similar advantages were shown compared to bio-converted Reb M, with 88% reduction in land use related impacts, 92% lower water usage, and a 76% lower carbon footprint.

Already available in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and other major markets, EFSA and FSA are the latest in a growing list of regulatory bodies to review the sweetener’s safety. Final authorization is expected in 2024, at which time EverSweet will become commercially available to European food and beverage manufacturers too.

First commercialized in the U.S. in 2019, EverSweet is already used to formulate a broad range of food and beverages in other markets worldwide. It is widely recognized for its clean, sugar-like taste, rounded flavor profile, and fast onset of sweetness, a combination of traits which enables formulators to achieve deeper reductions in sugars than traditional stevia sweeteners.

“We are thrilled that our European customers will soon gain access to this advanced, zero-calorie sweetener, and look forward to collaborating with them to bring consumers a new generation of products that reflect their priorities around health, nutrition, indulgence and sustainability,” said Andrew Ohmes, CEO Avansya. “Consumers don’t want to compromise on any of these points; with EverSweet, they don’t have to—it’s the sweetness solution that brings it all together.”