Stevia: good for health and good for the planet?

People are looking for healthier alternatives to include in their daily diets. An example of this is stevia, which acts as a sugar, prescribed and recommended by several health professionals. What you didn't know is that studies at the University of Surrey found that this sweetener, when in the manufacturing process, produces 10% of greenhouse gas emissions. See details.

Healthy food is good for both your health and the planet

See below all about stevia sweetener:

There are safety surveys. About sustainability? No.

When opting for healthier alternatives, most people turn to artificial sweeteners. Some are natural, others chemical. Those that are chemical have cesulfame potassium, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame. Steviol glycosides are natural and extracted from the leaves of the plant. stevia rebaudiana and the crushing of Siraitia grosvenorii.

To be approved for human use, several assessments of carcinogenicity and toxicity are made. Despite this, issues related to sustainability continue to be little studied.

Are stevia-based sweeteners more environmentally friendly?

A study led by Dr. James Suckling, a researcher at the University of Surrey, was asked to evaluate the life cycle in the production of a steviol glycoside.

Primary data from a supply chain was used for the case. In all results, the impact of the ReCiPe 2016 method (H) was taken into account. The main focus was on the potential for global warming, freshwater eutrophication, water consumption and land use.

After all, what were the conclusions of the researchers?

They found that the environmental impact of producing steviol glycosides from the ReCiPe 2016 grades is lower when compared to sugar. They are responsible for only 10% of greenhouse gas emissions.

According to Suckling, habits for the use of steviol glycosides and similar natural products can be a good choice when it comes to the health of our planet.