Swedish consumers have ‘significantly increased’ their purchase of products containing stevia in the past year, according to a survey from the research institute Novus.
Almost one-third (31%) of respondents had repeatedly purchased a product containing steviol glycosides – up from 14% the year before. Overall, four out of ten Swedes are aware that they have purchased a product containing steviol glycosides.
And while Novus found that nearly seven out of ten consumers (68%) indicate in the survey that they know about stevia and steviol glycosides, knowledge of the alternative sweetener was highest among women, people aged 18-29 and those living in Stockholm.
The research was commissioned by The Real Stevia Company, which is operated out of the Swedish capital.
“We put great importance on knowing consumer’s awareness and sales with stevia/steviol glycosides,” said managing director Sophia Horn af Rantzien. “It is very encouraging to learn that there has been such a large increase in repeated purchases. Stevia has now been approved in the EU for nearly five years and we see that it is now well established as a sweetener among producers which has resulted in greater variety of products to consumers who have long demanded it.”
Among those that knew the most about steviol glycosides, three-quarters were able to identify it as a ‘natural sweetener that is extracted from a plant’, though few were aware of it as the food additive label E960.
“Product labelling is a constant debate within the EU and especially when it comes to stevia extracts,” continued Horn af Rantzien. “Consumers want transparency since they want to know what they digest. Generally, consumers call stevia extracts ‘stevia’ instead of steviol glycosides or E960 as food authorities label it.
“While we are not surprised that few would know what E960 means, it does make us happy to see such great awareness among consumers concerning steviol glycosides. Swedish consumers are traditionally very knowledgeable and it is reassuring to see more complex labels such as steviol glycosides are no significant challenge among those knowledgeable about various sweeteners.”
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