LowCarb Monthly Magazine

THE STORY OF ONE COURAGEOUS STEVIA DISTRIBUTOR

The story of Stevita Co. - Arlington Texas

“Freedom of the Press embraces the circulation of books as well as their publication.”
-- from Judge’s ruling in Bantam Books v Sullivan [1963]

CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS

A shipment of Stevita cappuccino flavored product was detained by FDA. They claimed Stevita Co. was selling coffee instead of Stevia. Mr. Rodes then submitted a new label (MAGIC) that removed the word coffee. After changing all the labels (about 5,000) the shipment was released.

November 12, 1997
FDA inspectors, Martha Baldwin and Pauline Logan inspected Stevita facilities and took samples of the books and some scientific literature.

March 6, 1998
Stevita Co. received a warning letter from FDA saying the presence of literature, including the information on Stevita’s web site, was rendering the stevia products “adulterated.” Stevita Co. was given 5 days to reply. James Turner’s office (Swanken & Turner Washington D.C. law firm) then requested a 15 day extension.

March 26, 1998
James Turner’s office submitted an answer to the Warning Letter from FDA, agreeing with all the requests, with the exception of the destruction of the books and cessation of Stevita product sales.

April 1, 1998
Two shipments that had been detained by FDA had labels approved by FDA in Washington D.C.. However, Mr. James R. LaHar of the Dallas District office orders the shipments to continue being put on hold, because in his opinion, Mr. Oscar Rodes’ Stevita Company’s product is now contaminated by current literature - already in circulation.

April 27, 1998
FDA Inspector, Martha Baldwin inspected Stevita Company’s facilities and collected labels and documents. She also took an inventory of Stevita Company’s products. In desperation to get the shipments released by FDA, Oscar Rodes told Stevita Co. attorney, James Turner to inform FDA that as of May 13, Stevita Company is ceasing distribution of all the books.

May 19, 1998 (9:00 AM)
A fax was received from James R. LaHar, Compliance Officer in the Dallas District Office of FDA, stating that investigators from his office were coming to Stevita’s facilities to witness destruction of the literature and books.

May 19, 1998 (11:30 AM)
FDA inspectors, Pauline Logan and Margarito Uribe walked into the office. They proceeded to take inventory of all products and literature. Oscar Rodes believed they were sent by Mr. LaHar to witness destruction of all the books. Stevita Co. employees videotaped most of the so-called inspection - including the part when one of the inspectors is marking the cookbooks (Cooking With Stevia by James Kirkland) for destruction. FDA Compliance Officer, James R. Lahar faxed a letter to Stevita Co. addressing the destruction of 2,500 books he deemed “offending,” at a cost to the company well in excess of $10,000. The letter threatens that investigators will conduct a current inventory and “witness the destruction of the cookbooks, literature, and other publications for the purpose of verifying compliance” upon visiting Stevita Co. for a fourth time in one year.

May 20, 1998
Both inspectors return to Stevita’s facilities for more inspection and counting of inventory.

May 22, 1998
The same two inspectors arrive again at Stevita Co. at 3:30 PM - asking company owner, Oscar Rodes to sign some typewritten affidavits. Rodes said, “They also told me they wanted to look around.”

June 6, 1998
Banned cookbook author, James Kirkland made a shocking presentation at a Town Hall meeting, convened by Congressman Joe Barton, by holding up The Anarchist’s Cookbook, a book that talks about how to construct killer “homemade bombs,” a popular hard-core porn magazine and a copy of his book - telling how to cook with an herb. “Which of these publications is illegal?” he asked. Congressman Barton shrugged. The author then pointed to his cookbook on how to cook with stevia. “This isn’t right.” Kirkland added to thunderous audience applause. He then went on to elaborate. Kirkland’s book, Cooking With Stevia, published by Morris Press of Kearney Nebraska has been “marked” by FDA for immediate destruction and recall. FDA is also attempting to “regulate” web sites on the Internet by telling Stevita Co. to delete their web site links to other pages. Congressman Barton is Chairman of the Oversight and Investigation Subcommittee in Washington, which oversees the Food and Drug Administration.

Media covered the Town Hall event and that evening, the CBS TV News affiliate in Dallas aired a story showing the “banned books” and telling the Stevita Co. story of harassment by FDA. This news segment was picked up by other CBS affiliates and aired around the U.S.

The Aftermath:

In a blatant move to intimidate valued customers of Texas-based Stevita Co., importers of the sweet-tasting herbal dietary supplement stevia and distributors of three “banned” books about the herb, FDA raiders began relentlessly searching for their version of “the offensive literature” - according to a horrified eyewitness shopper at an Arlington, Texas Health Food Store.

When called by a national cable television network news reporter, a Dallas District FDA spokesperson said they would neither confirm nor deny the allegation of literature search or seizure at health food stores, because it was part of an “ongoing investigation.” FDA Spokesperson in Washington D.C., Monica Ravel in her misleading statement late Wednesday, told another local network news reporter on tape, “We have not banned any books.”

Stevita Co. has an FDA letter dated May 19,1998 signed by FDA’s James R. LaHar clearly stating they have.

These published books and literature offer the consumer information on the history, usage and scientific studies showing the safety of the legal herb stevia [aka stevia rebaudiana or stevioside].

One of three books in question is The Stevia Story - A tale of incredible sweetness & intrigue, by Linda Bonvie, Bill Bonvie and Donna Gates with Foreword by James S. Turner, author of The Chemical Feast.

Ironically, Chapter Four of the book the FDA wants to destroy is titled: “What’s wrong with the FDA?”

The other books are: Nature’s Sweet Secret - Stevia by David Richards and Cooking with Stevia by James Kirkland.

In the course of the following months, the FDA seized all of Stevita’s inventory, in an effort to force the company to comply with the recall and destruction order. This action, according to author, James Kirkland, “nearly put Stevita Company out of business.” Only after lengthy, costly litigation was the company allowed to resume distribution of some publications, but not Cooking With Stevia.

The following was taken from the Internet website of Linda and Bill Bonvie, authors of The Stevia Story, A Tale of Incredible Sweetness And Intrigue:

“Given stevia’s record as a completely safe and beneficial herbal product, and given that it now may be purchased legally in the U.S., just what is the FDA afraid of? That Americans will learn about stevia - that it is actually both sweet and non-caloric? Try it? Want to use it? The FDA’s prior attempts to control stevia as if it were a dangerous drug had the appearance to many of being a restraint of trade; now that it can be legally sold and used, the agency has gone further and is apparently trying to restrain ideas, information and criticism of its own behavior - trying, in essence, to act as a sort of ‘thought police.’ This is a very important issue which should be carefully followed by everyone - whether you like stevia or not - even if you’ve never tasted it.”

Story from