GLG Life Tech Corporation, a global leader in the agricultural and commercial development of high-quality natural sweeteners, is pleased to announce that the United States Food and Drug Administration has issued a Generally Recognized as Safe letter of no objection for its high-purity Rebaudioside M stevia extract product. (Filing No. GRN 512).
This letter confirms that the FDA has no questions regarding GLG's GRAS notice submitted earlier this year, in which GLG, through in-depth consultation with GRAS Associates, LLC, reported the results of its studies and its conclusion that Rebaudioside M is Generally Recognized as Safe ("GRAS").
Rebaudioside M ("Reb M"), also known as Rebaudioside X ("Reb X"), occurs naturally in the stevia leaf; it is one of the rarer steviol glycosides. Reb M, like other steviol glycosides, is valued for its commercial use as a zero-calorie natural sweetener. These glycosides are often used complementarily to achieve a desired sweetness and taste profile.
GLG's ability to produce Reb M commercially, now with the GRAS designation, further solidifies GLG's position as the preeminent provider of GRAS stevia extracts. To date, GLG has received six GRAS letters of no objection covering an array of high-purity stevia products; no other stevia company can claim such a mark. Furthermore, GLG has also submitted for review two more GRAS notices, one for high-purity Rebaudioside C and the other for high-purity Rebaudioside D. These latter glycosides, like Reb M, occur only in very small quantities within the stevia leaf.
In remarking on these achievements, Dr. Luke Zhang, Chairman and CEO of GLG, also emphasized GLG's 2014 agricultural program, under which GLG is furthering development of specialized stevia strains, always through non-GMO methods, that are expected to contain significantly higher levels of these otherwise relatively scarce glycosides. The 2014 program builds on the successful results already attained in the 2013 development cycle.
Additionally, GLG submitted earlier this year its GRAS notification to the FDA for its Luo Han Guo (Monk Fruit) extract products. These many submissions and certifications reflect GLG's commitment to ensuring that its full complement of naturally sourced sweetener products is compliant with the FDA GRAS program.
