Many approved food additives are plants, such as herbs and mustard. The FDA has not approved stevia as a food additive due to some negative studies:
Quote:
Another product, stevia, is derived from a South American shrub. Though it can impart a sweet taste to foods, it cannot be sold as a sweetener because FDA considers it an unapproved food additive. "The safety of stevia has been questioned by published studies," says Martha Peiperl, a consumer safety officer in FDA's Office of Premarket Approval. "And no one has ever provided FDA with adequate evidence that the substance is safe." Under provisions of 1994 legislation, however, stevia can be sold as a "dietary supplement," though it cannot be promoted as a sweetener.
Sugar Substitutes: Americans Opt for Sweetness and Lite
It can be sold as a dietary supplement due to the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act that exempts dietary supplements from federal review and regulation. And because they call themselves "dietary supplements", billions of dollars of worthless and/or dangerous diet pills are allowed to be sold every year!
I don't have an opinion one way or the other about the merits of stevia -- I was just puzzled about why a soda could be sold using it as an ingredient. And the answer is because the Zevia company is calling the soda (not just the sweetener) a food supplement, not a soda.