Innovation that sustains: Setting the standard for sustainable stevia
Cargill's stevia sustainability program has been benchmarked at Silver Level against the Farm Sustainability Assessment 3.0, becoming the first stevia producer to have its entire grower network achieve this distinction.
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Cargill defines sustainability broadly – encompassing both environmental goals and worker welfare, among other things. Our Stevia Sustainability Agricultural Standard is the most comprehensive in the industry and protects both the farmers and the land where our stevia plants are grown. And, on top of that, we use innovative approaches that drive sustainability.
For more than 20 years, Cargill has set higher standards for sustainable stevia – from our comprehensive Stevia Sustainability Agricultural Standard to becoming the industry's first to receive the global FSA 3.0 Silver benchmark across our supply chain.
Rigorous production standards
All Cargill stevia is sourced through our own program – never off the open market. Our grower-partners must adhere to the Cargill Stevia Sustainability Agricultural Standard, which includes:
- 137 control criteria in 13 categories
- 10 critical and 33 major focus areas, including worker health & safety, no forced labor, chemical handling, banned substances
- Third-party oversight assures compliance through Intertek, Sedex audits; FSSC22000 certification
Unparalleled traceability, consistent quality
Unlike other stevia suppliers, Cargill knows the farmers who raise our stevia plants and the fields where they are grown. Every lot of stevia we sell can be traced back to the cooperative where it is grown.
Throughout cultivation and production, stevia leaves are analyzed to make sure their glycoside content measures up. Only stevia that meets our stringent criteria will make its way into Cargill products.
Innovation through fermentation
Stevia leaves contain tasty little treasures called steviol glycosides, which delight our taste buds by reacting with the sweet receptors on our tongues – and contain zero calories! However some of the best-tasting glycosides, Reb M and Reb D, comprise less than 1% of the stevia leaf. To bring these glycosides to market Cargill developed EverSweet ® stevia sweetener using the age-old process of fermentation – with an innovative twist – to produce Reb M and D at a practical scale and cost for food and beverage production. In addition, EverSweet ® stevia sweetener has the lowest impact score on land use, climate change, ozone depletion and ecotoxicity.
Our global priorities
We create connections with farmers around the world to increase their productivity and help their business thrive.
Strategic focus areas include:
- Partnering with farmers to adopt and scale sustainable agricultural practices that build long-term viability of their farming businesses and build the next farming generation
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Promoting farmers’ voices through effective advocacy and communications
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