N OV A E S L K F T O H O E D S S C I E N T I S T
A DATE TO
Remember
Words by Caroline Barry
The deadline has been set by
the UK’s Food Standards
Agency for brands to have
their CBD products evaluated
and approved for sale. But
clarity around regulation is still
lacking. We look at the
timeline of the CBD in food
and drinks debate .
May 15, 1997
A novel food or ingredient is defined as one that
does not have a significant history of
consumption in the EU before this date. “If a food
business cannot show that there is a history of
being eaten before that date, then the food or
novel use of an ingredient in a food has to go
through a food safety assessment conducted by
the European Food Safety Authority and be
authorised by the European Commission.”
1998
Hemp flower is
recognised by the
European Commission
to produce beer.
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June 2018
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that
CBD has a good safety profile and that people can
continue to take it, stating: “Reported adverse effects
may be as a result of drug-drug interactions
between CBD and patients’ existing medications. To
date, there is no evidence of recreational use of CBD
or any public health-related problems associated
with the use of pure CBD.”
October 2018
Rumours circulate that CBD could be
considered a novel food and that
legislation will start to be drafted.
January
2019
CBD declared a novel food by the
European Commission. The change
may affect how CBD is sold requiring
more authorisation and evaluation
of products. A novel food must
“not differ in a way that the
consumption of the novel
food would be nutritionally
disadvantageous for
the consumer.”