War on Sugar Has Food Giants Vying to Make Stevia Tastier

Cargill, ADM sweetener investment is bet on sugar alternatives
Stevia demand tripled since 2011, but growth slowed over taste

Stevia plant
Photographer: Norberto Duarte/AFP via Getty Images

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By Innocent Anguyo, Agnieszka de Sousa, and Corinne Gretler

August 14, 2017 at 11:00 PM UTC

Corrected

August 16, 2017 at 10:08 AM UTC

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Over the past decade, a little-known herb 200 times sweeter than sugar has become a $4 billion global industry, showing up in everything from Coca Cola sodas to Heinz ketchup. Not a bad start for a product that many people still think has a bitter aftertaste.