CHICAGO — PureCircle has received a letter of no objection from the Food and Drug Administration for the use of Rebaudioside M as a general purpose sweetener for foods and beverages in the United States, the company said Dec. 30. Reb M (also known as Reb X) has a closer taste to table sugar than previous stevia ingredients, which allows for deeper calorie reductions in food and beverage products, according to PureCircle.

A joint development and five-year supply agreement between PureCircle, which has a U.S. office in Chicago, and The Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta, led to the discovery and development of Reb M.