CBD businesses with applications on the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) Public List are being encouraged to reformulate food products following new scientific advice.
There are currently more than 12,000 products on the Public List that are currently on sale in England and Wales and are linked to a credible application submitted for authorisation to the FSA. These are not new to the market. The Public List will be updated every four months or when major changes are required.
The FSA is encouraging businesses to meet a CBD provisional acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 10 mg per day of CBD (equivalent to 0.15 mg/kg of body weight per day of CBD for a 70kg adult) and the THC safe upper limit of 0.07 mg THC per day (equivalent to 1 µg/kg of body weight per day of THC for a 70kg adult).
The safe upper limit for THC was agreed based on advice from the FSAs independent scientific advisory committees. All CBD products must also comply with the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the 2001 Regulations. The CBD ADI was last updated in October 2023.
The FSA said it is encouraging compliance within the novel food regulation to allow businesses to reformulate their products at this stage.
It said it would make the authorisation process more efficient, while consumers would benefit from safer CBD products on the market.
Thomas Vincent, deputy director of Innovation Policy, at the FSA, said: “Our pragmatic approach allows businesses to do the right thing for consumer safety while progressing towards full regulatory compliance. This flexibility creates a clearer path forward for CBD businesses while ensuring products meet our safety standards.”
The FSA said that businesses with products on the list do not need to contact them if reformulation doesn’t affect product details on the list.
However, if reformulation requires product detail amendments, businesses must provide their application number, necessary updates, and confirmation that changes are safety-related.
The FSA also advised all CBD food businesses to review product labelling to display the recommended CBD acceptable daily intake limit and include key safety information such as age restrictions and warnings for those who are pregnant or taking medications.
The FSA continues to advise that under-18s, people taking medication, and those who are breast feeding, pregnant or trying to conceive do not consume CBD.
