Natural sweeteners made from extract of the stevia plant have taken about 10 per cent of the US consumer market for table-top sugar substitutes, only nine months after being approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The rapid growth of products produced by Cargill and Merisant underlines the potential for natural sweeteners in a market that could amount to $700m in five years, according to a report by New York-based analysts at Rabobank.