Stevia Impact on Tabletop Sweeteners Negligible

Implications: -  This article does not mention stevia's taste profile, which is inferior to existing low-calorie sweeteners -  Mainstream US consumers look for taste/flavor first, "natural" is way down the list of attributes -  Large volume users of low-calorie/high-intensity sweeteners have known about stevia for years and do not consider it to be a viable ingredient.

Analysis: Stevia is "natural" but an inferior quality sweetener--it has a distinct licorice note to it that Asian consumers are used to but that has been tested among US consumers, who do not like the flavor profile.

This product will do well only in the natural/organic trade and will not survive in traditional food/drug/mass retailers; US consumers will not compromise on flavor when there are two high quality low-calorie sweeteners available (sucralose and aspartame).

As to Cargill, Coca-Cola and a number of pharmaceutical companies launching stevia-based products in the coming months, this would be news to me...unless the launches are in Japan.