Univar, a leading global chemical distributor, announced today it will expand its salesof Stevia-based products across Europefollowing EU Commission Stevia approval on 14^th November.

Univar signed a deal yesterday for a pan-European cooperation with WILD which will see Univar extend the offering of the highly sought after ingredients to customers throughout its European network.

Univarentered into a partnership with WILD Flavors for marketing and selling WILD’s exciting range of Sunwin Stevia™ products and WILD Taste Modification Technologies inFranceandSwitzerlandin 2010 as a result of an early interim approval in both countries to use high purity Stevia extract Reb A.

“Stevia has been highly successful in theU.S.,” says Neil Blackburn, supplier director for Food Ingredients, EMEA withUnivar. “We anticipate that Stevia will claim a significant share of the European intensity sweetener market in the next few years.”

Wild Sunwin Stevia™ Reb A powder blends are calorie-free, of natural origin, high-intensity sweeteners extracted from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant. When naturally purified, the sweeteners are 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar and provide an ideal solution for the rise in demand for low-sugar food alternatives. Since there are negligible effects on blood glucose, the powder blends are attractive as natural sweeteners for people on carbohydrate-controlled diets, such as diabetics.

“The partnership with Univar complements our existing sales and marketing activities beyond our current customer base. Our proprietary Taste Modification Technologies and blends are used with Stevia to deliver outstanding taste for a wide range of food, beverage and other applications,” says Fabiana Matucci, senior vice president SBU Management at WILD.