The Cannabis Trades Association (CTA) has announced plans to prevent the Food Standards Agency from enforcing strict regulations against the CBD industry.
This campaign stems from the reclassification of CBD as a ‘Novel Food’ last year, under EU guidelines. Many CBD retailers admonished the reclassification as ‘red tape’, and a feeble effort to reign in a rapidly growing industry.
Mike Harlington, Chairman of the CTA said “Enforcing the provisions of Novel Foods would be a draconian move and be a devastating blow for millions of UK consumers. For that reason, the Association is launching an intensive and systematic programme of lobbying on this issue”.
According to a CTA announcement, the FSA confirmed that there were currently no plans to withdraw CBD products from the market. However, the FSA has maintained their stance that CBD products must meet the criteria for ‘Novel Foods’ under EU regulation.
In a letter to the CTA, Deputy Director of the FSA Head of Food Safety Policy Michael Wight said “The FSA has no current plans to immediately withdraw CBD products from the shelves but retains the right to change this stance if new evidence is produced that concludes CBD is not safe, or for any other relevant reason.”
Mr. Harlington said, “It seems clear to us from our direct communication with the FSA, and from correspondence between them and other interested parties shown to us, that they acknowledge that the information available does not suggest any significant safety concerns related to CBD products. I believe that this should be a source of some reassurance to the members of our trade association and the industry as a whole”.
