Participants in the UK’s CBD sector are on stand-by as they await the long-anticipated publication of the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) list of approved CBD products. The list represents the biggest shake-up to date in the still-young industry.
The list – which has been eagerly awaited since the novel foods application window closed in March 2021 – will reveal which CBD products will be permitted to remain on the UK market. Those not included in the list will have to be taken off sale – whether available in brick-and-mortar stores or online.
It is expected that Trading Standards Officers will apply the new rules immediately. This will mean that companies that continue to sell unlisted CBD products could be at risk of enforcement action.
As the publication of the list is expected imminently, the Association for the Cannabinoid Industry – the trade body for the UK’s CBD sector -has developed an online resource to enable consumers, retailers, and health practitioners to ensure they are buying and selling approved and permitted products.
The list of permitted products will be published at www.UKCBDList.com.
The FSA has now been assessing the safety and quality of CBD products in line with the UK’s Novel Food requirements (adopted following the ruling from the European Commission in 2018) for over 18 months. All CBD brands were able to submit applications for any products containing CBD that were on sale on or before 13 February 2020, with the deadline for applications fixed for 31 March 2021.
In a press release, Steve Moore, founder of the ACI, said: “The FSA has put in a tremendous amount of work to assess the many applications made, including the super-dossier submitted by ACI on behalf of our members.
“A key concern will be helping people to find out quickly and easily if the CBD products they are purchasing or offering for sale are permitted and safe. ACI’s new website, UKCBDList.com, will be the definitive source of information for determining this.”
According to estimates by the ACI, the UK market for consumer CBD products was worth £690 million by 2021. This figure was more than double the estimate for 2019 when the market was valued at £314 million.
The UK is the world’s second-largest consumer CBD market – behind only the US.
