NEWS
CBD AS A NOVEL FOOD.
IS IT OR ISN’T IT?
As the CBD industry prepares to take off, one potentially
damaging blow was thrown from an EU level. In the weeks that
followed, Vapouround CBD gauged the reaction to the news that
Cannabidiol may be banned in food items.
The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) has reaffirmed its
stance on CBD as a novel food.
The FSA has confirmed its plans to class CBD as a novel food
as “food businesses have not shown evidence” to suggest
CBD was used in food for consumption prior to May 1997.
The European Food Standards Agency (EFSA) shocked
businesses to the core when they announced CBD as a novel
food on January 29.
The announcement came unexpectedly to many, and it came
on the morning London was to hold its first Future Cannabis
Strategies Europe Conference.
A large contingent of those in attendance at this
conference, to which this magazine was media partner,
work in the food and beverage industry.
Interest in that morning’s Daily Mail article spiked, meaning
CBD edibles dominated in much of the content at the
gathering.
In the days running up to this publication going to press, a
spokesperson for the FSA updated Vapouround CBD, saying:
“New foods have to be authorised before they can be sold
unless there is evidence they have a history of consumption
before May 1997.
“Food businesses have not shown evidence of this for CBD
products and they are therefore now considered a novel
food in the European Union.
“The FSA is committed to finding a proportionate way forward
by working with local authorities, businesses and consumers
and to clarify how this applies to individual products.”
This magazine also approached the FSA on the day the
initial announcement was made to seek clarification on what
products would be affected.
Back then, a FSA spokesperson said anything intended for
ingestion may be affected, however e-liquids would not be
considered.
Gummies, tinctures and CBD-infused food and drinks
already on sale across the UK and EU may need to be taken
off shelves by Trading Standards as a result. How that is
managed or whether or not the UK government will accept
this recommendation from the EU as law remains to be seen.