Intercontinental Shanghai Pudong Hotel
A meeting recognized by
International Society for Horticultural Science
"Stevia set to change fundamentals of sweetener and
possibly sugar industry: Explore Markets and
Tap Opportunities"
- Supply Chain & Delivery of Leaves & Extracts
- Best Practices of Stevia Cultivation
- Latest Extraction & Refining Process
- Ensure High Purity Steviol Glycoside
- Establish Strategic Alliances, JVs & Trade Contracts
From Cultivation to Refining & Trading of Leaves & Extracts
With huge consumer interest in zero-calorie Stevia sweetener in the USA and elsewhere around the world, cultivation of the natural sweetener is expected to scale up extensively from China to Vietnam, India and South America where it is traditionally grown.
Companies like Pure Circle, GLG Life Tech Corp., Cargill, Merisant and a growing list of others are positioning themselves to supply stevia extracts to the food and beverage, pharmaceutical, animal feed and other end-use markets. Stevia extract has the potential of being used in mainstream foods as a part-replacer of sugar content, so to what extent will it also affect the sugar market?
PepsiCo Chief Executive Ms. Indra Nooyi said that she believes the decline in U.S. carbonated soft-drink sales can be halted with new sodas containing a natural, zero-calorie sweetener (extracted from Wall Street Journal online dated 18 Dec 2008).
Stevia market though promising is constrained by regulatory and economic issues. How are the stakeholders tackling these challenges? What is the present regulatory status and implications for the new entrants? Where are ideal places to cultivate stevia and how to effectively scale-up production? What are the other applications of stevia?
Find out these and other commercial issues at CMT's Stevia World
The FACTS
- June '08: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) concluded that stevia extracts containing 95 percent steviol glycosides are safe for human use in the range of four milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day.
- October '08: Australian and New Zealand food and safety regulatory body FSANZ has approved stevia for use as food & beverage ingredient.
- Late last December, two major international corporations were the first to obtain generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status from the U.S. FDA for their Rebaudioside-A at 95% purity or above. Expect to see more GRAS determinations for stevia-derived sweeteners, many of which will be submitted to FDA. Submission of GRAS determinations to FDA is voluntary.
- Japan and Korea are currently the largest markets for stevia.
- China is the largest stevia grower in the world, about 80% of their production is exported.
Key Reasons to Attend Stevia World
- Assess the real potential of Stevia and the business, cultivation and trading opportunities it presents
- Present regulatory environment for new entrants into the US and Europe markets
- Obtain updates on Stevia development in major markets - USA, China, Japan, India, Europe, Australia/New Zealand
- In-depth focus on cultivation for different climate - Temperate (China), Subtropical/Tropical (India, Vietnam) & Dessert (Egypt)
- Best agronomic practices and techniques to increase yields
- Ensure proper post-harvest management, storage and dehydration (vital for transportation)
- Compare and evaluate different extraction methods
- Meeting standards and qualities for steviol glycoside / rebaudioside-A
- Identify Stevia applications and formulations in Food & Beverage, Pharmaceutical, Agriculture, Animal Feed, Personal Care / Skin Care
- Attract and Secure partners for your projects
- Extensive networking sessions to seek tie-ups, alliances, JVs & trading deals
Register for Stevia World 2009 now and be connected to the Stevia industry. Visit www.steviaworldforum.com for more information.
Why Stevia World at Shanghai, China?
Shanghai is the finance and trade centre of China and has one of the world's busiest ports. Shanghai is located on the eastern coast of China, close to the 4 major stevia cultivation centres of Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong and Heilongjiang. Their combine cultivation area is around 200,000 mu (13,400 ha), producing about 40,000 tons of stevia leaves every year. China is currently the largest stevia extract exporter in the world. Other provinces like Sichuan, Xinjiang, Hainan, Guangdong are also budding to mass produce this lucrative crop.
You will network with
- Stevia Growers - Steviol Glycoside Producers
- Stevia Extraction and Refining Technology Licensors
- Sweetener producers - Sugar manufacturers and traders
- Food & Beverage Manufacturers - Food Ingredient & Additive companies
- Flavor and Fragrance company - Pharmaceutical companies
- Nutraceutical companies - Commodity Investors/Traders
- Herbal and Tea plantations - Horticulture/Botany companies
- Seedling suppliers - Plant Breeders/Tissue culture lab - Regulators
- Entrepreneurs/Planters & Investors keen to assess potential of this new lucrative business
Platinum Sponsor
PureCircle (LSE:PURE) is the world's leading producer of high-purity Rebaudioside A (Reb A), with a vertically integrated supply chain operating in three continents. PureCircle markets a range of natural sweeteners internationally. Activities range from the sourcing of dry stevia leaves and extraction, refining of high-purity Reb A into sweeteners and marketing of these sweeteners to food and beverage manufacturers worldwide.
PureCircle's extraction plant can produce 4,000MT of stevia extract annually which is currently the world's largest extraction facility. The Company has built the world's largest state-of-the-art refining plant in Malaysia. This currently produces 1,000MT of high purity Reb A and will shortly double the capacity to 2,000MT. The Company's production facilities operate in compliance with cGMP, HACCP and ISO standards.
During 2008, PureCircle announced contract extensions with Cargill and major new contracts with PepsiCo and Whole Earth Sweetener Company for the supply of high purity Reb A in beverages, foods and tabletop sweeteners worldwide including the exclusive license to market PureViaTM Reb A as a ingredient (PureVia™ is a trademark of PepsiCo Inc and Whole Earth Sweetener Company LLC: see www.reb-a.com and www.purevia.com).
PureCircle's investment in research and development has given it a leadership position in the manufacture of high-purity Reb A, and their scientists are globally recognized experts in their field.
The Company works with independent farmers in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, China, Paraguay, and Kenya to grow the best quality stevia leaf. PureCircle works closely with communities in each of these countries and endeavours to maximise the social, economic and environmental benefits of its operations.
PureCircle's corporate offices are located in New Jersey USA; Geneva, Switzerland; Asuncion, Paraguay; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Ganzhou, China and Kericho, Kenya.