On February 13, the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) issued its first-ever CBD advice to consumers and set a deadline for CBD businesses to provide more information about CBD products and their contents. Processors were instructed to submit novel food authorization applications by March 31, 2021 and only products with a valid application will be allowed on the shelves thereafter.
Companies with a valid application will be allowed to put their products on the shelves over the next year as the FSA works on the approval process.
On top of that, the FSA advised pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people on medication to avoid taking CBD products. Healthy adults were encouraged to take no more than 70mg (roughly 28 drops of 5% CBD) each day and to only do so after much thought.
CBD stakeholders in Europe have applauded the FSA for stepping in, saying it is a step in the right direction for the hemp sector. The European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA) has stated its approval of the FSA’s advice and is organizing a consortium of producers to support firms seeking novel food approval.
“We support the rationale behind FSA’s statement and look forward to our meetings early next month to discuss the EIHA consortium application in detail,” says EIHA Managing Director Lorenza Romanese. She states that last year, EIHA’s members agreed to submit a joint consortium application that will include a range of CBD products to UK’s FSA and the European Food Standards Agency (EFSA).
Although the 70mg of CBD per day recommended by the FSA conflicts with the EIHA’s recommendation, Catherine Wilson, EIHA Vice President and Managing Director at UK-based CBD seller CannaWell considers it a workable compromise.
Over the last year, CBD has become incredibly popular, and a diverse range of CBD products can be found everywhere from gas stations and coffee shops to large retail malls. Users claim CBD acts against several ailments, including chronic pain, anxiety, and high blood pressure, but most of these claims haven’t been scientifically proven yet.
There have been questions regarding the quality of many of the CBD products on the market, with many of them containing contaminants and little or no CBD.
FSA Chief Executive Emily Miles says the FSA has taken a pragmatic and proportionate step in balancing the protection of public health with consumer choice. “It is now up to the industry to supply this information so that the public can be reassured that CBD is safe and is what it says it is.”
Analysts believe that hemp industry actors in North America, such as MCTC Holdings Inc. (OTC: MCTC), would also be glad if regulators took a proactive position similar to what the authorities in the UK have taken.
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