MINNEAPOLIS — The Truvia business of Cargill has signed an exclusive distribution partnership in Spain with Azucarera, a sugar company in Iberia. Truvia is a natural, zero-calorie, high-intensity sweetener made from steviol glycosides extracted from the stevia plant. Steviol glycosides have been approved for use as non-caloric sweeteners in the European Union, according to the Official Journal of the European Union on Nov 12.

In Europe the Truvia business already has exclusive distribution agreements with CristalCo., which has the Daddy sugar brand in France; Eridania in Italy; and the Silver Spoon Co. in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Silver Spoon Co. is part of Associated British Foods.

“These partnerships mark an important stage in the growth of Truvia sweetener in Europe,” said Zanna McFerson, vice-president and business director of the Truvia enterprise. “Our partners are innovators in bringing sweetness to consumers with trusted brands and strategic business relationships and are ideally suited to deliver an entirely new category to the European consumer – calorie-free sweetness from the leaf of the stevia plant.”