[Cannavist] UK CBD market smashes expectations with £690m estimate

The UK CBD sector is predicted to generate £690 million in annual sales in 2021, according to a new report from two leading industry bodies.
The report from the Centre for Medicinal Cannabis (CMC) and the Association for the Cannabinoid Industry (ACI) was published this morning.

[Pharmacy Business Magazine] Industry body welcomes FSA update on CBD products

Pharmacy Business Magazine reports that the FSA updated the criteria for CBD products which can remain on sale from 1 April 2021. 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.

[Analytical Cannabis] The UK’s Food Standards Agency Updates its CBD Novel Foods Criteria

Last February, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) announced that all CBD businesses operating in England and Wales must have a novel foods application “validated” by March 31, 2021, or risk having their CBD oils, drinks, and treats “taken off the shelves.” Now, with just over two weeks left until the deadline, the FSA has clarified that all applications just have to be “submitted” by March 31, 2021.

[New Food Magazine] ACI submits CBD novel food application

The Association for the Cannabinoid Industry (ACI) has submitted its novel food application on behalf of the members of its CBD Safety Study Consortium. The ACI has called this a pivotal milestone as its members have been working together to meet the compliance deadline set by the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA).

[Canex] CBD Products to be Removed from Shelves as Novel Foods Deadline Looms

Despite the UK’s exit from the European Union and the end of the ‘transition period’ at the beginning of this year, it appears that the European Commission’s ruling on the novel status of CBD will stand. This means that all manufacturers and producers of CBD products in the UK will still be expected to have completed a Novel Foods application by the deadline later this year.

[Food Navigator] ‘A Christmas wish come true’: CBD industry celebrates as EC resumes Novel Food applications

More good news for the CBD industry. The European Commission has abandoned its plans to classify non-synthetic CBD a narcotic and resumed Novel Food applications for edible CBD products.

The move came after the European Court of Justice ruled that CBD is not a narcotic drug as it “does not appear to have any psychotropic effect or any harmful effect on human health”.​

[Confectionary News] Are functional jellies and candy a good fit for the confectionery sector?

ConfectioneryNews looks at some of the benefits, and also the issues, of using dietary and medicinal ingredients in sweets. The use of confectionery products to carry over-the-counter (OTC) medications or dietary supplements is increasing as consumers realise that hard candy, jellies or fruit products are one of the quickest ways of getting nutrients into the body. The demand for functional jellies continues to grow with herbal extracts, cannabinoids and vitamins proving a good fit with the mainstream candy sector.

[Health Europa] EU court rules CBD is ‘not a narcotic’

The ruling is a boost to the CBD sector in Europe after the EU decision to potentially classify CBD as a narcotic. The court stated that: ‘A Member State may not prohibit the marketing of cannabidiol (CBD) lawfully produced in another Member State when it is extracted from the Cannabis sativa plant in its entirety and not solely from its fibre and seeds.’ And that: ‘the provisions on the free movement of goods within the European Union (Articles 34 and 36 TFEU) are applicable, since the CBD at issue in the main proceedings cannot be regarded as a ‘narcotic drug’.’

[Food Navigator] ‘A breakthrough for the market’: Europe’s highest court rules CBD is not a narcotic

Europe’s CBD market is optimistic a ruling from the EU’s highest court not to classify the ingredient a narcotic – going against the European Commission’s shock preliminary view in July – will pave the way for Novel Food applications for CBD products to re-start.

The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled CBD is not a narcotic drug as it “does not appear to have any psychotropic effect or any harmful effect on human health”.​

[Analytical Cannabis] Inside the ACI’s CBD Safety Trial

The UK’s CBD industry is about to hit a crossroads. In just under five months’ time, every CBD company in the country will fall on one side of a new divide: those that have submitted a novel foods application with the country’s Food Standards Agency (FSA), and those that have not. To learn more about these time constraints and just what a CBD toxicology is, Analytical Cannabis spoke with Dr Paul Duffy, the ACI’s lead toxicologist.