Monk fruit extract is extracted from natural monk fruit. It is a non-nutritive and high-intensity sweetener, about 300 times as sweet as sucrose, tastes very close to sugar, but contains no sugar and calories. The product is widely used in foods and beverages marketed as "sugar-free" or "diet," including baked goods, soft drinks, powdered drink mixes, candy, puddings, canned foods, jams and jellies, dairy products, and scores of other foods and beverages. It is safe for the general population. Monk fruit, a traditional Chinese medicine and edible fruit, has been planted and used for hundreds of years in China and Asian countries, with no toxins and no side effects.