Stevia is a plant from the chrysanthemum family that when processed as a sweetener can be more than 200 times sweeter than sugar but is non-nutritive, meaning it has zero calories. Due to safety concerns regarding stevia in its full-leaf form, the FDA has only designated extracts of stevia to be generally recognized as safe (GRAS). To refine stevia, the leaves are steeped in hot water and filtered and centrifuged to separate certain compounds from the whole leaf, which are then extracted with alcohol and undergo a multi-step distillation. Stevia leaf extract can be found as a non-nutritive sweetener in stores in crystallized or liquid form and is also included in many packaged foods to increase sweetness without adding sugar.