Stevia approved as sweetener by EU food authority

Stevia is being obtained from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana. Its sweetnes has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar, and some extracts may have a bitter or licorice-like aftertaste at high concentrations. Steviol glycoside extracts have up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar. are heat-stable, pH-stable, and do not ferment. They also do not induce a glycemic response when ingested, making them attractive as natural sweeteners to diabetics and others on carbohydrate-controlled diets. [1]

The European Food Safety Authority evaluated the safety of steviol glycosides, extracted from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni plant, as sweetener and expressed its opinion on 10 March 2010. The EFSA concluded that the sweetener is not carcinogenic nor genotoxic. The EFSA  established an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for steviol glycosides, expressed as steviol equivalents, of 4 mg/kg bodyweight/day. Conservative estimates of steviol glycosides exposure, both in adults and in children, suggest that it is likely that the ADI would be exceeded at the maximum proposed use levels

EU Food additives regulation
Only food additives included in the Union list set out in Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 may be placed on the market and used in foods under the conditions of use specified therein. The additives should be listed on the basis of the categories of food to which they may be added. [2]

The regulation of 2008 was amended in 2011 by the following regulations:
Regulation 1129/2011: Established a Union list of food additives. [3]
Regulation 1130/2011: Approved the use of food enzymes, food flavourings and nutrients [4]
Regulation 1131/2011: Introduced amendment with regard to steviol glycosides. [5]

[1] European Food Safety Authority; Revised exposure assessment for steviol glycosides for the proposed
uses as a food additive. EFSA Journal 2011;9(1):1972. [19 pp.] doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2011.1972.
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/1972.pdf

[2] Regulation (EC)No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on Food additives.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2008:354:0016:0033:EN:PDF

[3] Commission Regulation (EU) No 1129/2011 of 11 November 2011 amending Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council by establishing a Union list of food additives.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2011:295:0001:0177:EN:PDF

[4] Commission Regulation (EU) No 1130/2011 of 11 November 2011 amending Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on food additives by establishing a Union list of food additives approved for use in food additives, food enzymes, food f lavourings and nutrients.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2011:295:0178:0204:EN:PDF

[5] Commission Regulation (EU) No 1131/2011 of 11 November 2011 amending Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to steviol glycosides.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2011:295:0205:0211:EN:PDF