FDA Import Alert; With regard to use in conventional foods, stevia leaf, or its crude extract, is not an approved food additive and is not considered GRAS due to inadequate toxicological information. UNLESS the stevia ingredient contains >= 95% steviol glycosides. (For purposes of this Alert, extracts that do not contain >= 95% steviol glycosides are referred to as "crude extracts.") .

The European market potential for stevia
Growth is driven by rising awareness of stevia, as well as consumer demand for healthy products.
 
How natural sweeteners became a gamechanger for confectionery
Consumers are trying to reduce or avoid sugar, and the demand for low or no sugar alternatives is rising in 2022 for the growing health-conscious public, with research suggesting more than 60% of US consumers wish there were healthier chocolate options on the market, according to data released by Mintel in 2021.
 
France first in Europe to anticipate Stevia approval
Food manufacturers in France are hoping to be the first in Europe to use the high-intensity stevia extract Rebaudioside-A (also known as Reb A and Rebiana), before the rest of continent receives full approval, reported Food Navigator USA.

December 2008:
The US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) stated it had no objection to the conclusion of an expert panel that rebaudioside A is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for use as a general purpose sweetener.  Prior to this, stevia-based ingredients were only permitted for use as a dietary supplement in the U.S. 

JECFA Conclusion: Stevia and stevioside are safe:
The Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), an independent, international expert panel administered by the United Nations and World Health Organization, has conducted a thorough scientific review of all the available scientific data on steviol glycosides, including rebaudioside A (used in rebiana) and concluded that they are safe for their intended use - to sweeten foods and beverages and established a permanent Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) level.
 
Coca-Cola, Pepsi Launch Stevia-Sweetened Drinks

Cargill rolling out natural, no-calorie sweetener

Geneva 2005:
The WHO Committee noted that stevioside has shown some evidence of pharmacological effects in patients with hypertension or with type-2 diabetes at doses corresponding to about 12.5–25mg/kgbw per day (equivalent to 5–10mg/kgbw per day expressed as steviol). The evidence available at present was inadequate to assess whether these pharmacological effects would also occur at lower levels of dietary exposure, which could lead to adverse effects in some individuals (e.g. those with hypotension or diabetes). The Committee therefore decided to allocate a temporary ADI, pending submission of further data on the pharmacological effects of steviol glycosides in humans.