SweeGen and Ingredion bring next generation stevia sweetener to Mexico

- RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, California and WESTCHESTER, Illinois, Nov. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SweeGen, a nature-based sweetener company, and Ingredion Incorporated, a leading global provider of ingredient solutions to diversified industries, announced today that the Federal Commission for Protection Against Health Risks (COFEPRIS), led by Julio Sánchez y Tepoz, has approved SweeGen's next-generation Reb M sweetener derived from the stevia leaf for use in food and beverage categories already approved for steviol glycosides.   This follows a review of the composition and manufacturing process of SweeGen's Reb M stevia leaf sweetener, with documentation submitted to the organization earlier this year. Reb M stevia leaf sweetener brings a clean sweetness from the stevia leaf, a great sugar-like taste and no bitter aftertaste. It can be used in a variety of applications such as beverages, dairy, bakery, table-top sweeteners, confectionary as well as nutritional food and beverages. "We are excited to introduce our non-GMO Reb M stevia leaf sweetener to food and beverage manufacturers in Mexico," said Katharina Pueller, director, natural sweetener business of SweeGen. "Consumer demand for zero- and reduced sugar products is on the rise globally, and our Reb M stevia leaf sweetener provides a solution that helps reduce sugar without sacrificing taste." Ingredion is SweeGen's exclusive global distributor in all markets (excluding SweeGen's house accounts and in the People's Republic of China where it is a non-exclusive distributor). This collaboration enables both companies to benefit from each other's strengths and to engage a diverse number of customers in the global food and beverage industry. Reb M was presented in Mexico by Ingredion during the Food Technology Summit 2017 in September. "Now beverage and food manufacturers in Mexico can reduce sugar using our Reb M sweetener derived from the stevia leaf," said Oscar Gutierrez, senior global director, sweetness innovation, Ingredion. "We are excited to commercialize Reb M in Mexico, and SweeGen and Ingredion will continue our joint efforts to gain regulatory approvals in other regions." ABOUT SWEEGENSweeGen (OTC: SWEE) is dedicated to the development, production and distribution of non-caloric sweeteners for the food, flavor and beverage industries. SweeGen's robust product pipeline, intellectual property portfolio, and dedicated manufacturing capacity and R&D provide the Company its foundation for innovation and delivery of high-quality sweeteners. For more information please contact [email protected] and visit SweeGen's website, www.sweegen.com. ABOUT INGREDIONIngredion Incorporated (NYSE: INGR) is a leading global ingredient solutions provider. We turn grains, fruits, vegetables and other plant materials into value-added ingredients and biomaterial solutions for the food, beverage, paper and corrugating, brewing and other industries. Serving customers in over 100 countries, our ingredients make crackers crunchy, yogurts creamy, candy sweet, paper stronger and add fiber to nutrition bars. For more information, visit ingredion.com. Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements including statements regarding the future outlook and performance of SweeGen, Inc., and other statements based on current management expectations, estimates and projections. These statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, are not guarantees and are inherently subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, those that may be discussed from time to time in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  The forward-looking statements included in this news release are only made as of the date of this release, and SweeGen, Inc. disclaims any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.