Calls to ‘standardise’ CBD food products after safe daily limit cut by watchdog

The UK food regulator’s new advice that adults limit their consumption of cannabidiol (CBD) has led to calls for greater standardisation amongst CBD-infused food and drink products.

 

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has dramatically reduced the recommended safe daily dosage of CBD, an extract used in products sold in many high street hospitality and retail businesses.

 

The FSA’s advice was updated today (12 October) and recommends adults consume no more than 10mg of CBD extract products per day, equivalent to around four or five drops of 5% CBD oil.

 

This is a change from previous advice published in February 2020, which recommended adults consume no more than 70mg per day.

 

Eoin Keenan, founder of Goodrays, which sells CBD-infused drinks, gummies, and oils, said the news highlighted the “need to standardise” CBD products across the board.

 

The founder, who recently announced a partnership with casual dining chain Zizzi’s to stock Goodrays’ products in 135 restaurants, said “not all CBD is created the same” and the quality of CBD in products “varies massively across the industry”.

 

CBD is a non-psychoactive chemical derived from the cannabis plant that does not cause a high and is not considered addictive. It is used for health benefits around pain and stress reduction and is sold legally by hospitality and retail businesses as shots, in coffee and other foodstuffs.

 

Two independent science committees advised the FSA and its Scottish equivalent Food Standards Scotland to reduce recommended consumption levels after reviewing evidence submitted by the CBD industry as part of its novel foods applications.

 

Novel food status applies to all products that have not been used to a significant degree before 1997. The novel food status of CBD extracts was confirmed in January 2019 and all CBD products must apply for authorisation before they can be sold legally.

 

Emily Miles, chief executive of the FSA, said the new advice would have implications for products currently on the market that contain more than 10mg of CBD per serving and the FSA would work with the industry to minimise consumer risk.

 

Professor Robin May, chief scientific advisor at the FSA, said that CBD was similar to alcohol as the more it was consumed by an adult, the more likely they were “to develop long-term adverse effects”.

 

He said consumers should monitor their daily consumption of CBD in light of the updated advice.

 

Keenan claimed the advice was “based on tests from three early market brands that have shown that repeated daily usage of those specific products over a lifetime period carries some risk of adverse impacts”.

 

However, he said he would welcome any further guidance from the FSA. “We need to get to a place where that quality and safety is recognised, and we’re not being led by the worst-quality applications.”

 

The demand for CBD-infused products is growing, including in the no and low-alcohol space.

 

According to the Association for the Cannabinoid Industry, the UK is the second largest consumer of CBD extract products after the US, with the UK CBD market valued at £690m in 2021, up from £314m since 2019.

 

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