In new guidelines just issued for healthy American diets, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has for the first time set daily recommended limits on the amount of sugar consumers should ingest. This health emphasis on sugar reduction has spurred development of sugar alternatives to combat America's growing diabetes and obesity crises.

Since 2008, Naples, Florida-based Pyure Brands has been educating consumers, retailers, as well as food and beverage companies that Pyure's plant-based stevia sweetener, the first organic, non-GMO stevia on the market, is the sugar reduction and sweetening solution for their products.

"Since 2008, we have been successful in convincing food and beverage makers nationwide and consumers that stevia is not only a healthier alternative to sugar but also the solution to a sugar epidemic," explains Pyure Brands founder and CEO Benjamin Fleischer. "We have created a business built on improving health.”

The company received national distribution with Whole Foods Market in 2010 and Walmart in 2014. With a three-year growth rate of 348%, the company is now one of the largest suppliers of stevia in the country.

The new guidelines advise Americans to consume no more than 10% of calories from sugars, less than 50 grams a day, a direction that should limit the consumption of staples like candy, soda, and other heavily sweetened beverages like coffees and teas.  Even many yogurt products, which are viewed as healthier, could fall outside of the 10% rule.