Training Presentation Our Beginnings

When the late James A. May, Sr., Founder of Wisdom Natural Brands, makers of SweetLeaf® Stevia Sweetener, embarked on his pioneering journey to bring Stevia rebaudiana to America in 1982, his passion was driven by the pure sweetness of the stevia plant and the many benefits it offered. Jim made it his mission to distinguish his product in the marketplace by producing better-for- you, delicious sweetener products. Jim May is globally recognized as The Father of Stevia.

SweetLeaf Stevia® Sweetener is made from Stevia Leaf Extract and is considered GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe). SweetLeaf stevia was the first stevia to receive GRAS in 2008. It has zero calories, zero carbohydrates, does not raise blood glucose, and tastes great in any food or beverage. The ideal sweetener for the 21st century, it contains no added sugars and no artificial sweeteners and is recommended by an ever-growing number of chefs, dietitians, health professionals, bloggers, and consumers.

2 Making the World a Sweeter Place®

WHAT IS STEVIA? Stevia is a natural, plant-based sweetener made with the leaves of the stevia plant, which originated from South America. The leaves contain compounds called steviol glycosides, which are about 30 times sweeter than sugar. The compounds are extracted as a white powder, and blended with a carrier (inulin- a prebiotic vegetable fiber) to make SweetLeaf Stevia Sweetener.

3 Why SweetLeaf? This Year Marks a Major Shift in Attitudes Toward Added Sugars

“A diet high in added sugars has been found to cause a 3-fold increased risk of death due to cardiovascular disease. Consuming a diet high in sugar for just a few weeks has been found to cause numerous changes seen in coronary disease and other vascular disease.”

Source: DiNicolantonio, James J., Sean C. Lucan, and James H. O’Keefe. “The Evidence for Saturated Fat and for Sugar Related to Coronary Heart Disease.” Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases 58.5 (2015): 464-72. Web. 15 May 2017 4 There is a Major Shift in Attitudes Toward Added Sugars

“Scientists are focusing on a common set of underlying metabolic issues that raise people’s risk for chronic disease. It turns out that the long-term overconsumption of added sugars is linked to many of these dysfunctions.”

Source: “Too Much Sugar Can Make Us Sick,” SugarScience.UCS.edu. University of California, San Francisco, 03 May 2015.Web15 May 2017 5 The Truth About Sugar

“People who consume 10 percent or more of their calories from added dietary sugar have a 30 percent increased risk for cardiovascular disease related mortality.”

Source: “2014 study published by JAMA Internal Medicine” 6 There is a Major Shift in Attitudes Toward Added Sugars

“All of these abnormalities can be reversed when reverting to a diet low in sugar.”

8 Defining Sugars

Hidden Sugars Added Sugars Natural Sugars

• Dextrose • Sugars added to • Naturally occurring • Maltose beverages like: sugar found in: • Sucrose • Soft drinks • Fruit Also found in • Fruit drinks • Vegetables • Yogurt • Sweetened coffee • Unsweetened dairy • Spaghetti Sauce • Sweetened tea • Condiments • Energy drinks • Sauces • Alcoholic drinks • Soups • Flavored water • Specialty Crackers • Snacks • Cereals • Pastries • Frozen foods • Pies • Ice cream • Jams • Syrups • Table sugar

Source: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/added-sugar-in-the-diet/ 9 Adding to the Sugar Epidemic Urgency

68% of Americans WANT to reduce the amount of sugars in their diets.

10 The Delicious Way to Reduce or Eliminate Added Dietary Sugars.

The American Heart Association (AHA), USDA, Health and Human Services (HHS), and FDA have all recently put forth measures to curb the amount of added sugar consumed by the average American. These efforts highlight the connection between dietary choices and chronic disorders, including cardiovascular disease (CVD) and obesity.

11 IT STARTS WITH ONE SWEET CHANGE

SweetLeaf is the smarter sweetener solution that consumers are looking for today!

• No Added Sugars • Zero Calories • Non-Glycemic Response No Artificial Sweeteners • Award-Winning Delicious Taste 12 SweetLeaf is the Taste Leader!

SweetLeaf is the only stevia brand to win 29 awards for taste and innovation. These are more awards than all low calorie, no calorie sweeteners combined!

13 14 The World’s Most Trusted Stevia Brand™

® SweetLeaf Organic Stevia SweetLeaf® 2 oz. Liquid SweetLeaf® Stevia Sweetener Stevia Sweet Drops™ Certified organic, no sugars Delicious sugar alternative for No artificial ingredients A variety of fun, delicious flavors everyday sweetening with no added sugars Zero calories/zero carbs Each packet is as sweet as 2 tsp. of Non-GMO verified Great for adding sweetness and sugar flavor to foods, beverages, and Great taste recipes No bitterness or aftertaste Packets are certified Paleo No artificial ingredients Zero calories/zero carbs SweetLeaf® Water Drops™ Zero calories/zero carbs No sugars

Take still or sparkling water from No sugars Packets are certified Paleo boring to wow with a squeeze SweetLeaf® 50ml Liquid Four delicious fruit-flavored blends SweetLeaf® SteviaTabs® make daily hydration a treat Stevia Sweet Drops™

Dissolves quickly in hot beverages Adequate hydration is vital and Unbreakable, BPA-free bottle improves body and brain health, while also promoting healthy skin 100 tablets per pack, equal to 100 Trusted SweetLeaf® sweetness and teaspoons of sugar delicious taste Zero calories/zero carbs Single-serving dispenser Five of our most popular flavors: No sugars Vanilla, Chocolate, Caramel, Easy-to-use push top dispenses at Coconut, and SteviaClear® the bottom SweetLeaf® SugarLeaf® Sugar-free with zero calories and no Now available in a blister pack artificial sweeteners A premium blend of SweetLeaf Stevia® and cane sugar designed for baking

The browning, bulking, and caramelizing qualities of sugar Delicious award-winning taste runs in 2/3 fewer calories than sugar our family! 15 Convert any food, beverage, recipe taking out the sugar and replacing with SweetLeaf

16 The Sweet Difference

Truvia Stevia in the Raw Pure Via NuNaturals (Wisdom) (Cargill) (Cumberland) (Merisant)

Carrier Inulin (prebiotic, Erythritol Maltodextrin, Maltodextrin (from Dextrose (from soluble fiber) (sugar alcohol) Dextrose corn), Natural cassava root & corn), Flavors Natural flavor

Whole Leaf Yes No No No No Extraction

Fiber 1g/serving 0 0 0 0

Non-GMO Yes No No No No

Net Carbs 0g 3g <1g <1g <1g

Glycemic Index 0 About 1 = Erythritol About 100 = About 100 = About 100 = Dextrose Maltodextrin, Maltodextrin Dextrose

17 1. How much sweeter is SweetLeaf stevia than sugar? 4. When was SweetLeaf stevia granted GRAS A. 300 times sweeter (Generally Recognized as Safe) status? B. 30 times sweeter A. 1982 C. 3 times sweeter B. 2016 C. 2008 2. What is the sweet composition of the stevia plant that is extracted from the stevia leaves? 5. What attributes do ALL SweetLeaf A. Mulch products have in common? B. Cane sugar A. They are gluten-free C. Glycosides B. They contain no artificial sweeteners C. All have won awards for taste and innovation 3. What is inulin? D. All of the above A. Sugar B. Prebiotic vegetable fiber 6. Each packet of SweetLeaf is as sweet as C. A tree how much sugar? A. 2 teaspoons B. 1 teaspoon C. 2 tablespoons

18 7. SweetLeaf products contain no added sugars and 11. Excessive uses of added sugars can lead to: no artificial sweeteners. True or False A. Obesity A. True B. Diabetes B. False C. Cardiovascular disease C. Not sure D. All of the above

8. SweetLeaf stevia was the first stevia brand to earn 12. Fill in the blank: People who consume 10% or GRAS status from the FDA. What is GRAS? more of their calories from added dietary sugar have A.Generally Recognized as Sweet a ____% increased risk of cardiovascular disease B.Generally Recognized as Safe related death. C. Good, Recommended and Sweet A. 0% B. 90% 9. Which national organization has set a C. 30%. recommended daily added sugar recommendation? A. FDA 13. If you drink one can of cola, you have: B. AHA A. Exceeded your daily recommended C. USDA added sugars B. Can stay within daily guidelines with 3 10. True or False: SweetLeaf uses a whole-leaf colas a day extraction process? C. Can have as many as you want daily and A. True still stay within daily added sugar B. False guidelines C. Don’t know 19 14. Stevia is a: 17: SweetLeaf Water Drops are: A. Hidden sugar A. Zero calorie, zero carb B. Added sugar B. No added sugars C. Naturally sweet plant C. Nothing artificial D. All of the above 15. Fructose, Maltose, Sucrose are all examples of: 18: SweetLeaf 2 OZ Liquid Stevia Sweet Drops: A. Hidden Sugars A. Come is a glass dropper bottle B. Natural Sugars B. 17 flavors C. Added sugars C. Zero calorie/carb, nothing artificial E. All of the above 16. What is the SweetLeaf conversion chart? A. A detailed chart of the rain forest 19: SweetLeaf 50 ML Sweet Drops: circle all that B. A chart showing how to convert any apply. recipe, food, beverage from sugar to A. Breakable bottle OR Unbreakable bottle SweetLeaf B. Have sugar OR have no sugar at all. C. A chart of awards C. 100 calories/serving OR no calories at all D. 5 award winning flavors OR 0 award winning flavors E. BPA free plastic bottle OR glass bottle

20 1. How much sweeter is SweetLeaf stevia than sugar? 4. When was SweetLeaf stevia granted GRAS (Generally (B) When James May was introduced to the naturally Recognized as Safe) status? sweet leaves of the stevia plant by a Peace Corps worker in (C) SweetLeaf was the first stevia brand to earn GRAS 1982, he learned the high-quality, unprocessed stevia leaves (Generally Recognized as Safe) status from the FDA in can be 30 times sweeter than sugar. 2008.

2. What is the sweet composition of the stevia plant that 5. What attributes do ALL SweetLeaf products have in is extracted from the stevia leaves? common? (C) The sweetest parts of the stevia plant are glycosides. (D) SweetLeaf products are always free of artificial The company processes stevia leaves with a proprietary sweeteners, such as aspartame, acesulfame, sucralose, technique that uses only cool, purified water and an exclusive and high-fructose corn syrup. They are also naturally revolutionary filtration to extract the sweet glycosides. gluten-free, and all of the product lines have won awards for taste and innovation. 3. What is inulin? (B) Inulin is a natural prebiotic vegetable fiber that 6. Each packet of SweetLeaf is as sweet as how much serves as a carrier for the extract. SweetLeaf uses the highest sugar? quality of inulin in its products. SweetLeaf Stevia® Sweetener (A) Each packet of SweetLeaf Stevia Sweetener and contains only two ingredients: stevia leaf extract and inulin, a Organic Stevia Sweetener is as sweet as two teaspoons of soluble vegetable fiber. Inulin is a naturally occurring prebiotic sugar with zero calories or carbs, and of course, sugar-free! which nourishes the body’s good intestinal flora, supporting good digestive health and immune function.

21 7. SweetLeaf products contain no added sugars and no artificial 10. True or False: SweetLeaf uses a whole-leaf extraction sweeteners. True or False process? (A) True, SweetLeaf products have no added sugars and no (A) This is True. SweetLeaf uses a whole leaf extraction artificial sweeteners making SweetLeaf the smart choice for process. The leaves contain sweet compounds which are consumers who are looking to reduce added sugars with a delicious, extracted through a cool water process. better-for-you sweetener alternative. 11. Excessive uses of added sugars can lead to: 8. SweetLeaf stevia was the first stevia brand to earn GRAS (D) Many scientific studies have proven that excessive uses status from the FDA. What is GRAS? of sugars can lead to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular risk. (B) GRAS stands for Generally Recognized as Safe. This is the FDA designation given to SweetLeaf. SweetLeaf became the first 12. Fill in the blank: People who consume 10% or more of stevia company to receive this FDA designation. their calories from added dietary sugar have a ____% 9. Which national organization has set a recommended daily increased risk of cardiovascular disease related death. added sugar recommendation? (C) 10% or more of calories from added dietary sugars have (B) The American Heart Association (AHA), USDA, Health and a 30% increased risk of cardiovascular disease related death. Human Services (HHS), and FDA have all recently put forth (Source: “2014 study published by JAMA Internal Medicine) measures to curb the amount of added sugar consumed by the average American. However, the AHA has most recently set the 13. If you drink one can of cola, you have: recommended daily added sugar guidelines (A) Exceeded your daily recommended added sugars if you drink one 12 oz. can of cola. The AHA recommend for men, no more than 36 grams of added sugar a day; for women (and children 2-19 years of age) 25 grams. A 12 oz. can of cola has 39 grams of added sugars. 22 14. Stevia is a: 17. SweetLeaf Water Drops: (C) Stevia is a natural, plant-based sweetener (D) Our delicious Water Drops are a great way made with the leaves of the stevia plant. The leaves to help everyone stay hydrated. Many people do not contain compounds which are 30 times sweeter like the taste of plain water. Adding SweetLeaf than sugar. Water Drops to plain or sparkling water takes water from plain to WOW! And they are zero calorie, zero 15. Fructose, Maltose, Sucrose are all examples carb, no added sugars, and contain nothing artificial. of: (A) These are examples of hidden sugars. 18. SweetLeaf 2 OZ Liquid Stevia Sweet Drops: Nearly 75% of all foods found in grocery stores (E) All of the above. 17 delicious flavors, zero contain hidden sugars. These are listed on food calories/carbs, nothing artificial. Our flavors sweeten labels and are under various aliases. Some of the up foods, beverages, recipes one drop at a time! common hidden sugars are: sucrose, fructose, glucose, dextrose, maltose and more. The best way 19: SweetLeaf 50 ML Sweet Drops: circle all that to avoid artificial, hidden sugars is to read food apply. labels. Unbreakable bottle, no sugar at all, no calories at all, 5 award winning flavors, and a BPA 16. What is the SweetLeaf conversion chart? free plastic bottle make these squeezable bottles (B) The conversion chart is a chart showing how the convenient way to take along delicious flavor to convert any recipe, food, beverage from sugar to any time, any where. SweetLeaf. The SweetLeaf website also has a conversion calculator making it easy to convert any food, beverage, or recipe. 23 24