Film Summary
Stevia is an herb that is native to Paraguay. The leaves of the plant are nearly 30X sweeter than sugar. In addition, the herb has no carbohydrates, no calories and does not affect blood sugar levels, making it a healthy, natural alternative for diabetics and those who wish to reduce their sugar intake.
At one point during WWII, sugar scarcity caused by the unsafe seas prompted the US government to seriously consider cultivation of Stevia as a safe alternative. The end of the war dashed these plans.
Instead, Americans became sugar junkies, and the advent of TV advertising only fueled the addiction. Eventually, Americans paid the price – hundreds of billions of $ spent annually to treat obesity, diabetes and dental problems.
Ironically, as America binged on sugar, Japan embraced Stevia and the plant became the marketplace leader for alternatives to sugar.
Then, in the early 1980s, a man named Jim May was introduced to the sweet herb by a peace-corp worker. Jim was so enthralled with the plant''s possibilities, he quit his job, leveraged his entire life savings (to the great concern of his wife) and went to Paraguay to find a way to bring the herb to market in America.
What Jim didn''t expect was the harsh reaction he would encounter when the artificial sweetener and sugar industries, each with billions of dollars in sales, learned of his goals.
These giant companies leveraged their resources and influence to get the FDA to stop Jim, and any other companies they could find, from bringing Stevia and its health benefits into the country.
Jim and his peers continually react to the preemptive challenges forced upon them. Eventually, it takes an act of Congress to break the FDA''s and drug companies'' stranglehold on Stevia. However, the new rules restrict Jim from using language that lets him describe the product. He can''t call it sweet. He can''t say it is a legitimate replacement for sugar. He can''t call it a sugar substitute.
By this time, however, the world''s largest food companies (including Coke, Pepsi and Cargill) see Stevia as a potential way to end their reliance on the now-unpopular artificial sweeteners.
These giant food companies announce plans to get the FDA to approve their versions of Stevia. This approval is called GRAS and whoever gets it first gets can sell Stevia as a sweetener. Jim must find a way to outmaneuver the multinationals, but time is not on his side.
When Jim does succeed, and actually gets two GRAS affirmations, his life dream is nearly fulfilled.
Even so, the FDA detains his products, and lets those of his giant competitors into the country. Jim's battle continues.
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