Why problems of European manufacturers of CBD products will affect the Ukrainian consumer

Products that will not pass the certification process and will not be able to obtain the status of a “new food product ” will be withdrawn from the EU market , which implies its implementation where the requirements for these goods are not regulated. This suggests that in the near future the national market "will cover a wave" did not pass certification in the EU cannabinoid food is very dubious quality.

The pages of the profile electronic publication of Ukrainian hemp breeders describe with certain regularity the situation that has developed on the EU market related to the classification of products that include various hemp ingredients or their derivatives to the category of “new food products ”. How European public organizations are trying to get out of this situation , as well as how the current EU policy to prevent the market of food products of dubious quality may be of interest to the national consumer described in this material.

Since January 2019, on the European market, all food products which include hemp extracts are classified as “new food products ” in accordance with the adopted EU Directive . This regulatory act of the European Union for manufacturers of hemp products , which include cannabinoids, means that they must go through the procedure for obtaining permits for the sale of their products that belong to the above category of goods . At the same time, the British agency Food Standards ( Food Food Standards Agency, the FSA) has decided that producers of hemp products even with trace content beznarkoticheskih cannabinoids are required to obtain additional authorization on the implementation of the "new food " in accordance with the new requirements of the EU to 31 March 2021. 

EU officials have developed the above rules in the field of food composition regulation as a mechanism to ensure food safety and control new, genetically grown or made from synthetic raw materials products classified as “new food products ” before they enter the market . According to the guidelines governed by the relevant EU procedure , the category of “new food ” includes goods that were largely not consumed in the EU until May 15, 1997. 

If foods are new, they have to undergo a preliminary safety assessment at the European agency for the safety of food products ( by European Food Food Safety Authority, the EFSA) before they can be legally sold in the EU , which is a costly and lengthy process, which, in the opinion of the European producers hemp , to a large extent, is already holding back the development of this market in Europe .

In this connection, the European association of industrial hemp ( by European Industrial Hemp A Association, EIHA) and the Association of manufacturers of cannabinoids (Association for the Cannabinoid Industry) UK have decided to pool their resources in order to assist interested parties legally output produced by these products on the market , passing the appropriate procedure Approvals - Novel Foods .

In 2019, the European Industrial Cannabis Association filed a joint application for “new food ” status with cannabidiol extracts to UK and EU government agencies . In order to undergo administrative procedures in order to obtain the status of a “new food product ”, a limited liability company was organized, the total budget of which should not be less than € 2 million. According to EIHA functionaries, to obtain the status of a “new food product ”, only the necessary laboratory analysis of toxicological studies of cannabidiol is required and tetrahydrocannabinol will cost companies € 1.8 million euros. Studies on compliance with the level of toxins in the studied "new foods " are scheduled to begin in June this year. 

According to the management of EIHA, all companies that adhere to the position of the Association are required to join the program of legalization of “new food products ”. The cost of joining the project is estimated in the amount of € 10,000 to € 50,000, depending on the size of the company and the time of its joining the EIHA initiative. 

In turn, the Association of Manufacturers of Cannabinoids of Great Britain actively conducts consultations for manufacturers of CBD products and offers membership in the Association, guaranteeing its full membership in the British hemp market . The consulting services of the association are estimated from € 50,000 to € 500,000, depending on the size of the company and the number of finished products that require obtaining the necessary permits for “new food products ”.

Representatives of the above associations of hemp breeders are of the opinion that hemp products should be classified as “new food products ” exclusively to genetically modified products or products that include synthetic cannabinoids, and not to cannabis leaves and inflorescences extracted using traditional extraction methods. At the same time, cannabis growers in Europe argue that a significant amount of hemp food has been on the tables of Europeans for many centuries and it is not advisable to apply new rules to them. 

Representatives of the above European associations have formed their position on the application of the above EU Directive to hemp products belonging to the category “new food products ”:

-  technical cannabis leaves and inflorescences cannot be classified as “new food products”, and their presence on the market should be governed by applicable rules regarding any other goods belonging to this category;

-  hemp extracts produced by traditional technologies from raw materials of plant origin in Europe should not be classified as “new food products ”;

- a  safe daily intake of not more than 100 mg for an average adult person is offered at a safe level of consumption of food and / or food additives , which include cannabinoids of plant origin ;

- genetically modified plants, their parts and products made from them , as well as products that include synthetic ingredients (including synthetic cannabinoids) should be classified  as “new foods ” ;

- The  so-called full-spectrum extracts with a natural level of cannabinoids should not be classified as “new foods ”. While the final product maintains a similar level of cannabinoids , the product is not Novel Food .

Commentary experts of the Association "Ukrainian industrial hemp"

Given the current situation in the European market of hemp products, it can already be argued that manufacturers of CBD products on the one hand are intensifying their efforts to enable sales of their products on the European market by focusing on obtaining permits . On the other hand, given the high cost of undergoing the relevant procedure, a significant part of cannabis growers are not relying on the use of plant extracts, let alone synthetic cannabinoids, but on the use of technical hemp leaves and inflorescences , which have significant therapeutic properties that will not fall under the requirements of the relevant EU Directive . Work with raw materials of plant origin does not provide additional financial costs for the manufacturer , which will ultimately positively affect the retail price of the product . Products that will not pass the certification process and will not be able to obtain the status of a “new food product ” will be withdrawn from the EU market , which implies its implementation where the requirements for these goods are not regulated. This suggests that in the near future the national market "will cover a wave" did not pass certification in the EU cannabinoid food is very dubious quality.