News Releases
China Venture Forum: China Stocks to Watch for Thursday, June 21: Sunwin Stevia Internationals OnlySweet Stevia Product Enters Sweetener Aisles of Kroger, Schnucks, Brookshire and Albertsons
Shanghai, China, Jun 21, 2007 (M2 PRESSWIRE via COMTEX News Network) --
China Venture Forum, an equity research newsletter of micro- and small-cap China Stocks, announced China Stocks to Watch for Thursday, June 21, 2007 include Sunwin International Neutraceuticals, Inc. (OTCBB: SUWN), According to an article published by http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com yesterday entitled "New stevia product enters sweetener aisles as awareness increases". The following is excerpt of the article written by Lorraine Heller.
A new stevia sweetener product has made its way into a number of leading US retailers, where its manufacturer claims it is placed side by side with the nation's top sweetener brands, despite its regulatory status as a dietary supplement.
The move, claims manufacturer Sunwin Stevia International, a wholly subsidiary of Sunwin International Neutraceuticals, Inc. (OTCBB: SUNW), is a clear indication that the market is ready to embrace a more 'natural' sweetener alternative, as consumers become increasingly concerned about artificial products.
For the time being, the company is focusing on the retail market, but according to Sunwin executive vice president Steven Silbert, the potential of supplying the food and beverage industry has "not been discounted" by the firm.
Stevia, derived from the South American plant stevia rebaudiana, is said to have up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar. As a sweetener, stevia's taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar, although some of its extracts may have a bitter or liquorice-like aftertaste at high concentrations.
But Sunwin now says it has got its product, OnlySweet, onto the shelves of Kroger, Schnucks, Brookshire and Albertsons.
OnlySweet, a stevia blend also containing maltodextrin and a proprietary flavoring agent that masks stevia's better aftertaste, only entered the retail market in December last year, but Sunwin has high hopes for its future.
Indeed, there have been rumors that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could be petitioned to approve stevia as a food additive.
Public awareness of the ingredient shot up earlier this month, after the Wall Street Journal revealed that big players Coca-Cola and Cargill were teaming up to market a stevia sweetener product. Coca-Cola has filed 24 patent applications for the ingredient in the US.
According to the article, the two firms are gathering data on the ingredient in order to apply for FDA approval.
If this is granted, the market for sweeteners could be set for a major shift.
In Japan, Stevioside is used alone or in combination with other sweeteners in beverages, tabletop sweeteners, chewing gums, pickles, dried seafood, flavorings and confectionery.
According to Mintel's Global New Products Database (GNPD), there have been 180 new food and beverage products containing stevia launched globally in the past year. These include teas, potato snacks, dressings and beverages, and have been launched in countries including China, Japan, Brazil and Canada.
CDC Games, a business unit of CDC Corporation (NASDAQ: CHINA) and pioneer of the "free-to-play, pay for merchandise" model for online games in China, announced today that it has launched Special Force, the first free-to-play, pay-for-merchandise FPS (first person shooter) game in China for general commercial availability.
AsiaInfo Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: ASIA), a leading provider of telecom software solutions and IT security products and services, today announced it has won a contract from Chongqing Mobile, a major subsidiary of China Mobile, to expand and upgrade its Business Intelligence (BI) system.
ABOUT CHINA VENTURE FORUM
China Venture Forum ("CVF") is a research site specializing in Chinese undervalued equities. Viewing China from within, we are the premier publisher of research on Chinese micro-cap (less than $100 million market cap) and small-cap (less than $1 billion market cap) companies listed on the US stock exchanges
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