NOW Foods - Better Stevia Liquid Extract - 8 oz. (237 mL)

NOW Foods Better Stevia Liquid Extract is a zero-calorie, low glycemic, 100% natural sweetener that makes a perfectly healthy substitute for table sugar and artificial sweeteners. Unlike chemical sweeteners, NOW Foods Better Stevia Liquid Extract contains pure Stevia extract. NOW Foods takes special measures to preserve Stevia's natural qualities in this unique, pure, better-tasting Stevia.

What is Stevia rebaudiana?
Stevia is an herb indigenous to Paraguay and Brazil that grows 2--3 feet tall and resembles mint in appearance. The South American native Guarani Indians used this green "sweet herb" they called "kaa he-he" for centuries before a European botanist named M.S. Bertoni first learned of this unique plant from the native guides while exploring Paraguay in 1887. Though prior to the early 1900s Stevia was a plant harvested in the wild it soon thereafter was being grown in abundance on plantations. Sometime between 1918 and 1921 the USDA was introduced to this wonderfully sweet herb but because of political and other interests Stevia was not accepted as a natural sweetener. The compounds in Stevia that give the herb its sweet taste called Steviosides were isolated by French scientists in 1931. Since the 1970s Japan has approved and used Stevia extracts as a sweetener in everything from ice cream to soft drinks.

Stevia had been available for sale as a Dietary Supplement since 1994, but in December 2008 the FDA granted GRAS status to certain types of Stevia extracts (specifically Reb.A) to be used as a sweetener. NOW Foods Stevia gained Self Affirmed GRAS status in 2010 and is now sold as a sweetener.

How is NOW's Stevia produced?
NOW's stevia extract is produced utilizing a patented process which involves extracting from stevia leaves using only water and alcohol. The resulting extract is treated with a vegetarian-source enzyme (glucosyl transferase) to reduce the licorice-like aftertaste of regular stevia extracts. The following are not used and not allowed: pesticides, fumigants, irradiation, other solvents, sulfur dioxide. There are no carriers or flow agents added to the extract other than what they claim on the label. The resulting extract contains no less than 80% Glucosylsteviosides as measured by HPLC testing.

The Stevia Glycerite liquid is now much thicker than it was. Why?
They have increased the percentage of Glycerine to help maintain the freshness of the product. Glycerine acts as a natural preservative, as well as having a nice sweet taste, but is low on the glycemic index listing (which shows how much certain foods affect blood sugar).

Should I be concerned that my Stevia Liquid Extract has become cloudy?
Stevia should not be cloudy and it is very rare for this to occur. This usually will occur due to some kind contamination:

1. Introduction of another interacting substance
2. Bacterial growth due to alcohol evaporation.

Please discard the product.

About NOW
The NOW mission is - To provide value in products and services that empower people to lead healthier lives.

In 1948, with the natural food and supplement industry in its infancy, entrepreneur Paul Richard paid $900 for the purchase of Fearn Soya Foods—a Chicago based manufacturer of grain and legume-based products. This began a six-decade legacy of providing health-seeking consumers with high-quality, affordable nutrition products.

History of NOW
NOW is still family owned as it has been from the beginning. El Richard started the company in 1968 and the entire family has contributed to the success of NOW.

Celebrating over 40 Years of Empowering Healthier Lives
In 1968, NOW Foods was founded under the belief that good health was not a luxury available only to the wealthy. For the past forty years, they have made it their life's work to offer health food and nutritional supplements of the highest quality, at prices that are fair and affordable to all those who seek them.

Today, NOW Foods is one of the top-selling brands in health foods stores, an award-winning manufacturer, a respected advocate of the natural product industry, and a leader in the fields of nutritional science and methods development. And while they have grown considerably over the past four decades, one thing has never changed – their commitment to providing products and services that empower people to lead healthier lives.

Core Values and Beliefs

Customer Focused and Information Driven
They believe that their products, services, and the decisions they make should be primarily influenced by the desires and needs of their customers. The decisions that they make should be based on accurate information and therefore they place a high value on knowledge and learning within their organization.

Quality and Value Oriented
Acting in the best interest of their customers, they endeavor to produce the highest quality products at competitive prices. Their first priority is to maintain quality where it counts the most – in the products.  Their exceptional cost-conscious team of employees then focuses their energies on driving costs down.  Nurturing this competency of value drives their ability to provide high quality products at the very best prices.

Natural is Better
They are convinced that natural products are better than their synthetic counterparts and produce better results in human health. Therefore, wherever possible, they strive to provide products that contain natural ingredients because they are better for their customers.

Employee Focused
They are committed to their most valuable resource, their employees. As a family-owned business, they strive to maintain a safe, family-friendly work environment where employees can achieve their full potential through challenging work with individual & team successes. Their goal is simple, yet unending – to make NOW more than a great place to work; they want to be recognized as one of the best places to work.

Honesty, Integrity & Respect
They encourage open and honest communication and strive to maintain an environment of trust and respect with their customers, vendors and employees. They believe in the Golden Rule - "Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you." – and they apply it as one of the guiding principles on how they conduct their business. Also, they make every effort to be socially responsible in their use of resources and they support programs that improve the quality of our environment.