#FreeStevia

THE FIGHT FOR THE USE OF DRIED STEVIA LEAVES IN THE KITCHEN BEGINS

RECIPES WITHOUT SUGAR OR CHEMICAL SWEETENERS

Just over two months ago, AECOSAN (Spanish Agency for Consumption and Food Safety) announced the decriminalization of the trade in dried Stevia leaves throughout the EEC, the sale of which had been prohibited in Spain for the previous eight months.

This achievement, hard won through persistent struggle by consumers and producers for five months, was undoubtedly a great step forward for people with diabetes, cholesterol, obesity, etc., who need to take it as an infusion and can once again freely access it to regulate their health problems with this plant, as well as for producers who have seen their way of life thrown out of control.

It is now the CAAE (Certification Service) who reminds us that what the European Body approved was only "herbal and fruit infusions containing or prepared with Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni leaves and intended to be consumed as such."

However, since 2011, the sale of the steviol glucoside sweetener E-960, obtained from the plant through a chemical process, has been authorized, and in most cases it is only used as an advertising claim and minimally accompanies different chemical sweeteners that are dangerous to health such as ERYTHRITOL, SUCRALOSE, CYCLAMATE, SORBITOL, XYLITOL or BRAZZEIN.

Therefore, we cannot use fresh or dried Stevia leaves to make a dessert, ice cream or soft drink, because we are breaking the law, since in these cases, it is considered a NEW FOOD.

Faced with such unfair and inconsistent regulations, we at the Dulce Revolución Association DEMAND that the Spanish Health and Agricultural Authorities consider ALL STEVIA PLANTS TO BE TRADITIONAL FOOD.

We encourage bakers and cooks, professionals or amateurs, who want to join this claim, to send us their recipes made with dry Stevia leaves, fresh or dry, to share with everyone, such as these:

 ILLEGAL RECIPES WITH STEVIA LEAF

We continue to use our home kitchens as a clandestine laboratory to create delicious recipes with the prohibited STEVIA LEAF, which is not allowed in the kitchen because it is not an old food.

• Recipe 1 Rice pudding with stevia leaf
• Recipe 2 Stevia soup
• Recipe 3 Cupcakes
• Recipe 4 Lemon Granita

Images of the delivery of some of these recipes and a Stevia plant to Jordi Roca, the best pastry chef in the world; by members of the Dulce Revolución Association: