ACI welcomes the recent update from the UK’s Food Standards Agency concerning the criteria for which CBD products can remain on sale in the UK as of 1st April 2021.
These updates can be broken down into two key points.
“The criteria for products which can remain on sale from 1 April 2021 has been updated. Previously, only products which were on sale at the time of the FSA’s announcement (13 February 2020) and were linked to an application which had been validated by 31 March 2021 were to be included. To maximise the opportunity to pass validation, this now includes all products on sale on 13 February 2020 and linked to an application submitted before 31 March 2021 that is subsequently validated.“
– FSA update 11 March 2020
All applications must be submitted by 31 March 2021. This is an update to the previous stance that all products must be validated by that date. The FSA reiterates that these products must have been on the market prior to 13 February 2020 and be linked to a validated dossier.
The FSA has also committed to publishing a list of products linked to validated applications in April, with regular updates to this list as and when dossiers are validated.
Products that have not met the full requirements, but have satisfied the FSA that they will do so, will be listed providing that they include “robust plans” to complete the risk assessment process in their submission. The ACI is seeking clarity from the FSA that these companies will continue to be allowed to sell their products.
“A list of products linked to validated applications will be published on the FSA’s website in April and regularly updated.
The FSA will also publish a list of products associated with applications which have not yet fully met the legal requirements to be validated but have set out sufficiently robust plans to prove they are fully committed to delivering the remaining information required. This will include evidence of plans to complete the risk assessment process, with a clear deadline for submission of the outstanding information.
– FSA update 11 March 2020
“Today’s update from the FSA is a welcome one,” says Shomi Malik, ACI’s External Affairs Director. “The 31st March deadline is now for submission, rather than validation.”
What should companies do now?
Today’s update from the FSA means the deadline is now for submission by March 31 2021 and not validation. If you have not yet submitted your dossier, due to time constraints in regards to having your dossier validated before March 31 2021, you should look to submit your dossier as soon as possible.
ACI’s experts will be delighted to support companies looking to make the most of this opportunity. Contact us now to find out how we can help.
