The legal status of stevia as a food additive or dietary supplement varies from country to country. In the United States, high-purity "stevia glycoside" extracts have been generally recognized as safe (GRAS) since 2008, and are allowed in food products, but stevia leaf and crude extracts do not have GRAS or Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for use in food. The European Union approved "Stevia" additives in 2011, while in Japan, stevia has been widely used as a sweetener for decades.