The Association for the Cannabinoid Industry (ACI) have submitted their novel food application on behalf of the members of our CBD Safety Study Consortium. This marks a pivotal milestone for the ACI, whose members have been diligently working to meet the compliance deadline set by the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA).
“I am delighted to submit these dossiers on behalf of the ACI-ADSL CBD safety consortium and support an industry on the cusp of transitioning from a grey area to a fully legally compliant market,” explains Dr Parveen Bhatarah, Regulatory and Compliance Associate, ACI who led this collective effort. “Well done to our consortium members who have delivered on the substantial data requirements that were asked of them. We’re very pleased to lead the way to a sustainable cannabinoid industry.”
Up until now there remained some fundamental unanswered questions regarding the safety of CBD for human consumption, including concerns raised by the Government’s Committee on Toxicology (CoT).
In February 2019, CBD was classified by the European Food Standards Agency (EFSA) as a ‘novel food’, meaning that safety studies are required for CBD products to ensure they are safe for human consumption.
In February 2020, the FSA set a deadline of March 31st 2021 for the industry to respond to the EFSA’s classification. On this date, CBD companies wishing to stay in the UK market need to have their application validated by the FSA, or face their products being removed from shelves.
In response to this deadline, ACI partnered with Advanced Development and Safety Laboratory (ADSL), to announce the launch of a landmark study in September 2020 with a consortium of CBD companies committed to building a sustainable, safe and fully compliant industry in the UK.
“ADSL have been proud to support the ACI and its committed members in a ground-breaking submission,” says Mark Bowes-Cavanagh, CEO, Advanced Development & Safety Laboratories (ADSL). “It is a very exciting sector who are committed to ensuring that their products are not only safe but also legally compliant and I look forward to the growth and awareness these applications will deliver to the consumer.”
The aim of this study was to assist our members in getting validated novel foods applications for their products by addressing the existing gaps in data identified by the CoT.
The study also generates the safety information mandated by the FSA’s novel foods application process. We are satisfied that any company that does not have such original derived data will not have their novel foods dossier validated by the FSA.
“The FSA have always had an ethical responsibility to gain evidence to prove that CBD is safe for human consumption. With the submission of the ACI and ADSL CBD consortium safety study we are well on the way to providing them this evidence,” says Dr Paul Duffy, Toxicology Associate, ACI.
This submission is the culmination of months of work from ACI and our members. It marks a pivotal moment in the UK CBD industry as companies, who are in competition, chose to collaborate in order to share costs and data.
No other country has provided the clear regulatory framework for compliance that exists in the UK, and data being generated through this process will be useful to meet demands from US and EU regulatory authorities, further supporting the industry globally. The UK is therefore a global leader in cannabinoid regulation and this is a moment to celebrate.
