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Wednesday, October 22
1-1:50pm
Location: Casanova 605
Stevia as a Sweetener and its Implications for Future Product Development
Stevia is one of the hottest topics of discussion among food and
beverage companies. Several companies have recently introduced stevia-based
sweeteners or have announced plans to do so soon. As marketers and
product developers consider the possibilities this no-calorie, natural
sweetener could offer, there remain many questions. Attend this session
to learn of stevia’s implications for future product development.
 Leslie
Lake Curry is the director of regulatory & scientific affairs for
Cargill Food Ingredients and Systems (FIS). In this capacity, Curry leads
regulatory and scientific data development programs for Cargill FIS
businesses and directs regulatory approval activities in the Americas and
Asia. She joined Cargill in 2000 as manager of regulatory & scientific
affairs for specialty food ingredients and agronomic products with
responsibilities including safety and efficacy assessment for a broad array
of food and agricultural inputs. In her current role, she directs Cargill’s
regulatory and scientific affairs team and initiatives toward global
approval and public acceptance of new food ingredients and uses, including
those for the recently introduced natural sweetener, Truvia™ rebiana. Prior
to her work on the Truvia™ rebiana regulatory program, Curry led the
development and conduct of clinical trials for Barliv™ barley betafiber,
which led to an FDA-authorized health claim concerning barley betafiber and
cardiovascular disease risk reduction. Curry and her team have developed
natural and health benefit-related claim substantiation and GRAS
determinations for multiple food ingredients, including specialty fibers,
starches, sweeteners and processing aids. Curry has been working in the
field of product safety and human health risk assessment for over 20 years,
with extensive experience in safety assessment of food ingredients,
household chemicals, biopesticides and antimicrobials. She received a
bachelor’s degree in pharmacology/toxicology from the University of
Wisconsin, Madison in 1987.
George Pugh, Jr., Ph.D.,
joined The Coca-Cola Company in 2006 and serves as manager of food
toxicology in the Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Division. He is
primarily responsible for assessing the safety and regulatory requirements
for all new ingredients used across the company’s wide beverage portfolio.
Prior to joining The Coca-Cola Company, Dr. Pugh worked for
Colgate-Palmolive Company in the Department of Product Safety. In this role,
he led the toxicological assessments for ingredients proposed for use in
over-the-counter oral care products and prescription drug products. In
addition, he has worked in Colgate Europe’s Regulatory Affairs Division
where he participated in several trade associations and provided scientific
support on industry-wide safety/regulatory issues. Prior to joining Colgate,
Dr. Pugh worked for Exxon Mobil Biomedical Sciences where he conducted
toxicology evaluations on petroleum-derived raw materials and assessed their
impact on occupational safety. Dr. Pugh received a bachelor’s of art in
biology from Hampton University, Virginia, and a doctorate in pharmacology
and toxicology from the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. He is board
certified in general toxicology by the American Board of Toxicology.
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