Food Standards Agency asks retailers to sell CBD products responsibly

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has asked the CBD industry and retailers to market products responsibly.

Chief executive Emily Miles also offered support to local authorities if they need to increase their enforcement efforts on CBD food products in the coming months.

“My message to the CBD industry, and to retailers, is that you need act responsibly when marketing and selling these products. And my message to local authorities is that, as products are rejected from our market authorisation process, you may need to step up enforcement efforts. The FSA will support you in this process,” she said.

Speaking at the FSA Board meeting on 8 December, Miles laid out the FSA’s approach to regulating CBD, bringing the industry into compliance with the need for CBD to go through an FSA safety assessment, and the next steps in that process, including updating the CBD public list.

Currently, there are no CBD food products on the market that have been through the mandatory safety assessment and been authorised for sale. However, the products making initial progress through the novel foods authorisation process are allowed to stay on the market until a decision has been made.

The FSA added that the CBD public list will be updated shortly and will be a public record of products where credible applications for market authorisation have been made to the FSA.

Over the next few months, local authorities and retailers in England and Wales will be able to use the list to check the status of CBD food products and prioritise enforcement where necessary.

Consumer Advice on CBD:

Based on current evidence, the FSA advises a maximum level of 70mg per day for a healthy adult. For vulnerable consumers we recommend, on a precautionary basis, not taking CBD because the relevant safety assessments have not yet been completed.