Study says: steviol glycosides are biopiracy

Working together with organisations in Switzerland and Paraguay, the German relief agency Misereor has  presented a study that demonstrates clearly that the marketing of stevia-based sweeteners is an act of biopiracy towards the Guarani Indians. Indicted are the big corporations like Pepsi, Coca-Cola and Cargill, but for the specialist organic trade too there is the issue of how to deal with the claims of the Guarani.

Convention on Biological Diversity
The origin of all marketing, including organic marketing, of stevia and stevia-based products is the traditional knowledge of the Guaraní. These impoverished people living in Paraguay and the south of Brazil have known and used the sweet-tasting stevia leaves for centuries. The Misereor study describes the legal situation arising from the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the accompanying Nagoya protocol: the holders of traditional; knowledge have a right to benefit from the commercialisation of their knowledge. Germany has ratified these documents.

The study also states that neither the Guaraní as holders of traditional knowledge nor Paraguay and Brazil have received "their fair share of the benefits arising from the marketing of steviol glycosides." Instead, a few multinational companies are utilising the genetic resource and the associated traditional knowledge to make huge profits.
This means in particular Pepsi, Coca-Cola and Cargill, whose role in the marketing of stevia is described in detail. But Chinese firma are also beneficiaries – they are responsible for 80 % of stevia cropping worldwide and for 95 % of the manufacture of steviol glycosides.  Misereor’s conclusion: "It’s a clear case of biopiracy".
 
Organic steviol glycosides don’t officially exist
The specialist organic trade sells steviol glycosides as sweeteners or food supplements, even though their market share is minimal. In some cases, a deliberate connection is made with the Guaraní or the retailer refers to their use over the centuries. But since steviol glycosides are not included in the annex to the EU Organic Regulation they don’t officially exist as organic products. However, products derived from organically grown stevia leaves and certified in the USA are permitted to be sold as organic in the EU. The products entered in Ecoinform contain all steviol glycosides declared as conventional. In contrast, stevia leaves in teas or as bath additives come from cultivation certified as organic. The fact that the industrialized countries permit glycosides as an additive but largely prohibit the use of the leaves as a food is also critisised in the study.

Bio-Markt.info explained the accusation of biopiracy to the suppliers and asked: "What benefit do the Guarani Indians derive from stevia products in the specialist organic trade?" "Almost none at all,” replied Heinz Weintraut from the German firm Gesund&Leben. He said the Indians don’t supply “certified organic stevia” and that means companies operating as “organic” are n ot permitted to sell these products. “To what extent UN conventions play a part in this we can’t judge. But I’m going to pursue this issue”

Peter Grosser from MedHerbs made the same promise: “Of course the Guarani should benefit from the fact that we now used sweeteners made from their stevia. We’ve now got to find rules to apply this principle fairly.” He expects that in coming years “there will be an increased use of simple raw extracts of stevia – produced in compliance with the guidelines of organic agriculture – as an ingredient in organic foods.”

Steviol glycosides from the genetic engineering laboratory
The study also states that three companies are in the process of manufacturing steviol glycosides with the help of synthetic biology. To do so, yeasts with synthetic genetic material produced in the laboratory are manipulated to produce the desired sweeteners.
Together with the Swiss biosynthetic company Evolva, the Cargill corporation produced the sweetener EverSweet that it launched at the beginning of  October in the USA. Quite apart from genetic manipulation, the artificially produced steviol glycosides are a threat to farmers who have so far cultivated stevia as a raw material and who may soon no longer be needed.
This is why Misereor is calling on governments not to permit synthetic steviol glycosides unless independent risk analyses are available that are based on the precautionary principle and take account of the socio-economic impacts. The health risks have not been explained. In fact, Eversweet consists mainly of the rebaudiosides M und D – the least bitter steviol glycosides. However, their presence in the leaf itself is less than one percent.