Stevioside import ban

Wednesday 17 March 2004

Stevioside is a very strong sweetener, made from the stevia plant. It is 250 to 300 times sweeter than sucrose and has been used for a number of years as a sweetener in South America, Asia, Japan and China. But stevia and stevioside and food products containing them are not allowed to be sold in the UK or the rest of the EU.

This is because they did not pass EU safety assessments. So you cannot import any food products or supplements containing stevia or stevioside.