Stevia
A plant-derived sweetener from stevia leaves, 200-300 times sweeter than sugar, used to replace sugar in low-calorie and diabetic-friendly foods.
At high intake, estimated consumption in young children can exceed the regulators' acceptable daily limit. Approved uses were not expanded in 2024 partly for this reason.
What is it?
Steviol glycosides are sweet-tasting compounds extracted from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana, a plant native to South America. The main glycosides are stevioside and rebaudioside A. In the UK the additive is now formally split into E960a (extracted from stevia leaves), E960c (enzymatically produced), and E960b (fermentation-derived), replacing the older single E960 designation. The compounds are 200-300 times sweeter than sucrose by weight.
What does it do?
Steviol glycosides bind to sweet-taste receptors on the tongue, triggering sweetness without contributing calories. They pass largely undigested through the small intestine, where gut bacteria in the colon hydrolyse them to steviol, which is then absorbed, conjugated with glucuronic acid in the liver, and excreted in urine. Because the compounds are not metabolised to glucose they do not raise blood sugar in the way sucrose does.
Where you will see it
Soft drinks and flavoured waters marketed as low-sugar or zero-sugar, yoghurts, flavoured dairy drinks, breakfast cereals, confectionery, chewing gum, table-top sweetener sachets and tablets, some fine bakery products and desserts. On a UK label it appears as 'steviol glycosides', 'stevia', 'stevia leaf extract', or 'E960' (older labelling) or 'E960a' (post-November 2024 labelling).
What the science says
Regulatory ADI and the toddler exceedance finding
EFSA set an acceptable daily intake of 4mg per kg of body weight per day, expressed as steviol equivalents, in 2010 and has reconfirmed it in subsequent reviews. In 2024, an industry application asked for the ADI to be raised to 6 or 16mg/kg/day to permit broader use. EFSA declined, finding insufficient justification for an increase. Modelling showed that under the proposed expanded uses, toddlers at the 95th percentile of consumption could reach 6.9mg/kg/day, substantially above the ADI.
EFSA declined to raise the steviol glycosides ADI from 4mg/kg bw/day and noted the proposed expansion of use would result in exceedance of that ADI for toddlers at the 95th percentile, with modelled intakes reaching 6.9mg/kg bw/day in this age group.
The original ADI of 4mg/kg bw/day for steviol glycosides was established following a full safety evaluation covering genotoxicity, subchronic and chronic toxicity, and reproductive studies in animals.
Blood pressure effects
A number of controlled trials in people with mild hypertension have found that stevioside at doses used therapeutically (not at food-additive levels) produced modest reductions in blood pressure. At the much lower doses present in food and drink this effect is not consistently demonstrated. The mechanism is thought to involve calcium channel modulation and vasodilation rather than sugar metabolism.
In a two-year randomised controlled trial in 174 people with mild to moderate hypertension, oral stevioside (750mg/day, equivalent to a pharmacological dose) reduced systolic blood pressure by around 10mmHg compared with placebo.
A meta-analysis of RCTs concluded that stevioside at supplemental (not food-additive) doses was associated with modest blood pressure reductions, but noted high heterogeneity across studies and that food-level doses were unlikely to produce the same effect.
Effects on blood glucose and insulin
Because steviol glycosides are not metabolised to glucose, they do not raise blood sugar in the same way as sucrose. Some small trials suggest stevioside may reduce post-meal blood glucose in people with type 2 diabetes, possibly by stimulating insulin secretion. The evidence is limited in size and some results have not been replicated.
A crossover trial found that stevioside (1g at a meal) significantly reduced post-meal blood glucose and glucagon concentrations in people with type 2 diabetes compared with sucrose, with a suggested mechanism of enhanced insulin secretion.
Gut microbiome
Steviol glycosides are not digested in the small intestine and reach the colon where gut bacteria break them down. Lab and animal studies have raised questions about whether high concentrations alter gut bacterial populations. At typical food-additive exposure levels, human evidence is limited and the picture is not settled.
In vitro and animal studies have shown that high concentrations of steviol glycosides can alter gut microbial composition, but the relevance of these findings to dietary intake levels in humans has not been established.
Where it stands with the regulators
Who should be careful
People with known allergy to plants in the Asteraceae family (which includes ragweed, daisies and chrysanthemums) may react to stevia, as it is derived from a related plant. People taking medication for high blood pressure or diabetes should be aware that high supplemental doses of stevioside have shown pharmacological effects on blood pressure and blood glucose in clinical trials, though food-additive exposure is lower. Look for 'steviol glycosides', 'stevia', 'stevia leaf extract', 'E960', 'E960a' on the label.
The honest read
Stevia is marketed as a natural, plant-based sugar alternative and is widely used in products aimed at people managing weight or blood sugar. The regulatory record is straightforward for typical adult consumption: the ADI has been confirmed through several independent EFSA reviews and has not been weakened. The most substantive regulatory development is the 2024 EFSA finding that expanded use could push toddler intake above the established limit, which is a real signal, not a technicality. The blood pressure and blood glucose trials used doses many times higher than what food-level consumption delivers, so those findings do not straightforwardly predict effects from drinking a diet cola. The gut microbiome question comes largely from lab and animal work at high concentrations. The science on this additive is more thoroughly reviewed than most, with multiple EFSA opinions since 2010. The honest position is that the existing approved uses carry a well-characterised safety profile for adults; young children at high consumption, and the broader expansion of this ingredient into more food categories, is where EFSA has drawn its current line.
Related additives
Common questions
Is E960 banned in the UK?
No. Steviol glycosides are approved food additives in the UK. The designation was updated in November 2024 from the single E960 code to separate codes (E960a, E960b, E960c) depending on how the sweetener is produced. E960d is not currently authorised in Great Britain.
Why did regulators decline to expand stevia use in 2024?
In a 2024 opinion, EFSA rejected an industry application to raise the acceptable daily intake and extend approved uses into more food categories. The reason was that modelling showed toddlers at the high end of consumption would exceed the current daily limit under the proposed expanded conditions. The existing uses were not changed.
What foods contain E960?
Most commonly found in diet and zero-sugar soft drinks, flavoured waters, low-sugar yoghurts, breakfast cereals, chewing gum, confectionery, and table-top sweetener products. It appears on labels as 'steviol glycosides', 'stevia', 'stevia leaf extract', or 'E960'/'E960a'.
Is E960 vegan?
Yes. Steviol glycosides derived from stevia leaves (E960a) are plant-derived and are suitable for vegans and vegetarians. Fermentation-derived variants (E960b) use microbial fermentation and are also vegan.
Sources
- EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings: Scientific opinion on the extension of authorisation of use of steviol glycosides (E 960a-d) and modification of the ADI (2024)
- EFSA ANS Panel: Safety of steviol glycosides for the proposed uses as food additive (2010)
- EFSA: Safety of the proposed amendment of the specifications of steviol glycosides (E960) to expand the list of steviol glycosides, EFSA Journal 2020:6106
- UK FSA approved additives and E numbers — E960a steviol glycosides from Stevia
- UK FSA Approved Additives and E Numbers list
- Hsieh MH et al.: Efficacy and tolerability of oral stevioside in patients with mild essential hypertension, Clinical Therapeutics (2003)
- Onakpoya IJ & Heneghan CJ: Effect of the natural sweetener, steviol glycoside, on cardiovascular risk factors, PLOS ONE (2015)
- Gregersen S et al.: Antihyperglycaemic effects of stevioside in type 2 diabetic subjects, Metabolism (2004)
- Ruiz-Ojeda FJ et al.: Effects of sweeteners on the gut microbiota: A review of experimental studies and clinical trials, Advances in Nutrition (2019)
Aaron Keen is the founder of NutraSafe. He researches and writes every additive entry himself, from the primary sources. About the research →
This is a guide, not medical advice. If an additive affects you, speak to your GP or a dietitian.
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